Man's Leather-Clad Body Found Hanging on Fence

A dead man clad entirely in black leather, including a head-mask, was found hooked by a collar to a four-foot fence in the West Village early yesterday morning, police officials said.

The man couldn't be identified yesterday, because no form of ID was found. He was described as a white male in his late 30s. The medical examiner has scheduled an autopsy for today. Police said no signs of injury were immediately visible on his body.

A woman walking her dog called 911 at about 6:30 a.m. after she realized the man was dead. The fence was located at 424 Hudson St., on a leafy block next to a deli.

The owner of the deli, Indravadan Patel, 46, said he walked by the body an hour earlier, but mistook it for a "Halloween decoration."

"I thought it was one of those scary dummies," he said. "A woman came in, said it was a human being, ‘Call the police.'"

The body was kneeling forward with both hands resting above the head on the metal fence, Mr. Patel said. A part of the fence was in between his neck and the collar, he said.