An angler was left horrified after he hooked a human corpse while fishing in New York's Central Park.
Luis Castoire assumed he'd caught a fish but said was 'freaked out' when he realised what he'd actually hooked on to.
The 24-year-old cast his line into the Harlem Meer lake at around 11am on Thursday.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Castoire said: "I hooked up on something. I was fishing in the Harlem Meer and my second cast I hook something [and] then lifted the line.
"I had seen the body in the water then I call 911."
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When asked if he got a proper look at the corpse, he replied: "I know it was a man but not really. I freak out."
In an interview with NBC New York Castoire said: "I thought I was seeing a ghost. I felt a thump, my hook had gotten stuck... When I go to lift it, I seen the leg come up, and then I saw the rest of the body."
He added: "It was devastating, really devastating. I couldn't believe it with my own eyes, I just couldn't."
Castoire and some other fisherman called the cops, who arrived at the scene and removed the corpse.
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The body is reported to belong to a man in his 30s.
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An autopsy will now be carried out to determine the cause of death.
Kylie Debor, who lives in the area, told NBC: "It was very quiet. I was sitting here, there are lots of sirens going on... and it's very unexpected.
"It's definitely upsetting, it's a tragedy for the family, for the person involved and for the neighbourhood."
The grim discovery isn't the first dead body to be found in Central Park this month. On 7 September, police responded after a call came in about a body in a pond.
Staff from the New York Fire Department used a body board to recover the body, where he was pronounced dead at the scene.
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While just last week the body of a man in his 50s was found on the west side of the park.
Featured Image Credit: Peter GerberTopics: US News