More than five months after a Norwood man was found dead inside an apartment, where a second man may have been removed by paramedics, the NYPD, FDNY and the Office of the City’s Medical Examiner have remained silent as regards updates on the case, despite several requests for information.

 

According to police officials, officers from the 52nd Precinct were called to 16 East 208th Street and De Kalb Avenue at 10.22 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 26, 2022, where they discovered Adam Perez, 44, inside a third-floor apartment. Perez was “unconscious and unresponsive” and was pronounced deceased at the scene. At the time, police said the medical examiner would determine the exact cause of death.

 

Following the incident, Citizens’ App staff, who monitor police communications, posted that based on what they heard, a man had been fatally injured in an assault and a suspect had been detained. An additional post read, “Police have received a 911 report of a man unconscious and bleeding after fighting with another man.” Another post outlined how police were requesting a second ambulance. The last post read, “Officers reported that a man was fatally injured in an assault and advised that they detained the suspect.”

 

On Tuesday, Jan. 17, Perez’ ex-girlfriend, who asked not to be identified, and who is the mother of his children, spoke to Norwood News, saying she was displeased with the investigation into the incident, and alleged a detective on the case was not getting back to the family with updates. She also alleged the family were unable to get the victim’s personal property back, including his cellphone which she said could provide key answers to a family seeking closure.

 

Meanwhile, the victim’s mother, who also asked not to be identified, said she could only speculate as to what happened her son. She told Norwood News, “This happened in someone else’s house. We don’t know the person.” She continued, “We only know that the girl he was last seeing supposedly had broken up with him, and we don’t know if she texted him to come over. We don’t know because we don’t have his cellphone or his property yet.”

 

The mom also alleged the autopsy report lists “homicide” as the cause of death but does not include details of any marks on the victim’s body. She continued, “When we did the funeral, he had like a big stitch on the back of his head… It looked like somebody took chunks off his skin. So, it doesn’t match up to what people are saying.”

 

The mother said she believes the five marks on Perez’s face were caused by punches and added that there were no marks on his face earlier on the day he died. To date, Norwood News has been unable to obtain the official autopsy report.

 

Asked about the Citizen Apps posts which talked about a reported second person injured on the night of Perez’s death, the mom said, “They said the second person they took was injured. We don’t know how he was injured. They only said they found two unresponsive people, they were both male, and one of them was deceased and the other one’s in the hospital.”

 

A father of four children, the victim’s ex-girlfriend described Perez as a “family man,” a description echoed by a longtime friend of Perez. His ex-girlfriend also said Perez immigrated from Mexico to the U.S. at age 10 or 11 and settled in Norwood. Most recently, she said he worked in a local deli, making sandwiches. She said that when he wasn’t working, “Everywhere he went, he took his kids.”

Meanwhile, the mom concluded, “So my kids are asking me questions. I tell them I don’t know. I wish I had the answers.” She said the second apparent injured victim, who Citizens’ App users said had been taken into custody, was released from the hospital, and later “lawyered up” and was being uncooperative with police.

 

On Sunday, Feb. 5, a resident of the building where Perez died, said she had heard a “rumor” that the death was ruled as a homicide but was skeptical this was the case. She alleged that a second man in the apartment had been arrested and that after his arrest, the landlord quickly took action to have him removed from the building, and that another family was now living in the apartment where the incident took place.

 

The NYPD, FDNY, and the Office of the City’s Medical Examiner have not responded to requests for comment. Norwood News will continue to monitor this case.