Suffolk police investigating homeless man's death in car

Suffolk County police are investigating the death of a homeless man found Wednesday afternoon in the front seat of a vehicle on the side of the Long Island Expressway in Hauppauge.

Police were called to investigate a disabled vehicle, a 2019 Jeep, on the eastbound shoulder of the LIE near Route 111 in Hauppauge at about 1:15 p.m., police said.

When police arrived, officers found the man's body inside the vehicle. Detectives initially said they believed the death to be of a noncriminal nature and did not appear to be a result of a crash.

He was later identified as Luis Gonzalez, 62. His body was taken to the Suffolk County Medical Examiner's Office to determine the cause of death. 

The investigation closed the right and center lanes of the expressway for several hours, but all lanes were reopened by 5 p.m., police said.

By John Valenti

john.valenti@newsday.com

John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”