When a strong gust of wind along the banks of the Potomac River blew a fisher’s hat off her head, the woman put down her fishing pole and walked along the water’s edge near Harborside to recover it. But when she found the hat she also made a shocking discovery — an unidentified black male body lodged in the Harborside dock. When police and medics arrive, the man was pronounced dead at the scene.
"Apparently, he was wearing swim trunks or some kind of shorts," said Townsend Van Fleet, who has lived in Harborside since 1994. "The current in the Potomac River can be very strong, and swimming in the river can be very dangerous."
At press time, the man’s identity and cause of death had not been determined. Ashley Hildebrandt, a public-information officer for the Alexandria Police Department, said that police investigators are looking into a number of possibilities.
"There appears to be no evidence of foul play," said Hildebrandt. "But we’re still waiting for the results of the autopsy."