Elderly Man Commits Suicide in Rahway Park

At approximately 10:45 a.m. today, the Union County Police Dispatch received a citizen report of a possible dead body in Rahway Park.

According to a release from County Police Chief Daniel Vaniska, upon arrival to the area by police, responding officers found the body of a 74-year-old Rahway resident in a sitting position under a tree near one of the ball fields in the park, the apparent victim of a self-inflicted gun shot wound. A small caliber handgun was found at the scene near his body.  

When Patch arrived to the scene around noon, police were leaving and the body had been cleared. A small stain remained on the tree where the body was found, not far off the road and walking path. 

The victim's gold Toyota Camry was being towed. On the passenger seat was a hardcover copy of the 1996 non-fiction book "This Noble Land: My Vision For America" by Pulitzer-winning author James A. Michener. In it, according to Booklist, Michener bemoans what's wrong with America and predicts a revolution in 2050.

According to Union County spokesman Sebastian D'Elia, suicides in Union County parks are not uncommon and police respond to about one a month.

The death is being investigated by Union County Police Investigator Jesus Quijano. An autopsy has been scheduled for Saturday morning at the Regional Medical Examiner’s Office in Newark.