Police Believe Body Found in NJ Likely That of Missing Connecticut Man
Joseph Comunale, 26, was on Manhattan's Upper East Side attending a party.
— -- Detectives believe a body that was found in Oceanport, New Jersey, today belongs to a Connecticut man who went missing this weekend after a party on Manhattan's Upper East Side, authorities have told ABC News.
Stamford police said that Joseph "Joey" Comunale, 26, of Stamford, was reported missing by his father Monday morning. Comunale was last seen on the Upper East Side Sunday morning. According to Stamford police, he'd traveled to the city Saturday night to attend a party at the Grand Sutton, an apartment building on East 59th Street.
Authorities said that Comunale was with at least five people, two men and three women, in the apartment at some point Saturday night into Sunday morning. When his friends left Sunday morning, police said, Comunale stayed willingly.
The NYPD said the investigation continued into the circumstances of his disappearance.
Comunale's father, Pat, spoke to local ABC-owned station WABC-TV today through tears, saying that he'd put off making a public statement for two days.
"It'd be self-serving for me to tell you guys what a great kid my son was. He was loved by all," Pat said. "He didn't deserve this. I don't know what else I can say but it's [a] total loss. He was one of a kind."
NYPD told ABC News that multiple people had been interviewed by detectives, including a tenant in the building where the party was held.
Police said he was being held on unrelated charges and had retained an attorney, but has not been named as a suspect in the case. They also said a second male had provided detectives with information that led them to the body in New Jersey.
According to WABC-TV, police were also examining surveillance from the building.
WABC-TV said a police search warrant also had recovered potential evidence, including blood, items in a garbage bag and a luggage cart. Police said a motive was unclear and no weapon had been recovered.
A Mercedes-Benz believed to have been used to transport the body to New Jersey was also being examined for forensic evidence.
ABC News' Aaron Katersky and Mark Crudele contributed to this story.
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