Homeless Man Luis Reyes Found Dead in Abandoned Staten Island House; May Have Frozen

A homeless man was found dead in an abandoned Staten Island house on Sunday. Terry Troia of local charity Project Hospitality says the man, a Mexican day laborer named Luis Reyes, probably died of exposure. There was no heat or hot water in the house on Morningstar Road, of which the Advance took this video. Reyes' family is now trying to scrape up the money to have his body flown back to Mexico.

Troia's efforts notwithstanding, Staten Island isn't too hospitable to its homeless. They've been sweeping them out of the Ferry Terminal at night. This may be why some local beggars have been getting a little aggressive; a couple of them, including a Project Hospitality resident, were picked up the other day for banging on car windshields and hoods and demanding money from the occupants.