Another man found dead in Newtown Creek: 'Damani loved life'

QUEENS, N.Y. (PIX11) – A family is heartbroken after their loved one was found dead in Newtown Creek last month, the circumstances mirroring two similar deaths last summer in East Williamsburg.  

Damani Alexander, 30, went to a nearby venue, Knockdown Center, on July 28 before his body was found in the water of Newtown Creek two days later, according to his mother, Desiree Nicholson. 

Little is known about Alexander's final moments. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has not yet determined his cause of death, and police are still investigating how and when he ended up in the creek, according to the NYPD.

Detectives initially told Nicholson that her son likely did not drown, and there were no signs of trauma on his body, she said. The NYPD and medical examiner declined to respond to PIX11's request for additional information.

His death is a massive shock to the family, which is now left piecing together what happened.

“We’re just trying to find answers,” said Bryan Bernard, Alexander’s cousin.

Alexander’s mother told PIX11 News her son had told a friend on July 28 that he was in danger before he was found dead. Investigators returned his wallet but not his phone, she said. 

Nicholson remembered her son as a beloved man who loved to party. He was a security guard at The Box, a popular Manhattan club. A spokesperson for The Box told PIX11 the team is "devastated" by his loss.

“He was such a lovable child… always had a smile,” Nicholson said. "Damani loved life."

Bernard told PIX11 News Alexander was always good-spirited. 

“He was a very, very cheerful guy... Nobody could say a bad thing about him,” Bernard said. “Nobody expects a guy like that to die so suddenly.”

Safety concerns around Newtown Creek

Alexander’s death comes a year after two young men, John Castic and Karl Clemente, were found dead just over a month apart in Newtown Creek. They had both separately gone missing after leaving the Brooklyn Mirage.

Clemente's death was ruled an accidental drowning by the Office of Chief Medical Examiner. Castic’s death was also declared a drowning, and his father told news outlets there were no signs of foul play. 

Their deaths sparked conversations about safety at nightlife venues around Newtown Creek. The edge of the creek around East Williamsburg and Queens is mainly an industrial area, surrounded by privately owned lumber yards, construction companies, and warehouses, according to Willis Elkins of the Newtown Creek Alliance. 

At night, the only foot traffic near the creek is for nightlife venues, and attendees face conditions like unlit roads and poor cell service, Elkins said. 

“It does highlight a little bit of the lack of investment in the waterway,” Elkins said. “We hope that there’s investment from the city in improving surrounding areas.”

State Senator Julia Salazar echoed Elkins’ calls for improved conditions in the industrial area around the creek, which has long been home to many nightlife venues. She said a safety solution would include efforts by the city and the venues themselves. 

“The least we can do is make it safer in general to be in the [industrial business zone] in the dark,” Salazar said. “How are we responding to… the proliferation of nightlife in this area? How are we adapting to it? It’s not going to work to not have an organized response and way of managing it.”

Another man, 58-year-old Wade Cummings, was found dead this June near where the creek meets the East River, police said. It is not clear whether Cummings' death was related to any nightlife venues.

Newtown Creek is already fairly blocked off and has few easy access points for pedestrians, Elkins said. So a seemingly obvious solution like a tall fence is unlikely to make the area any safer, Elkins said.

Investing in public infrastructure like lighting, signage, clean-up and water safety education would transform the creek from a dangerous appendage to an accessible part of the neighborhood, akin to waterfronts like Hudson River Park, Elkins said. This will improve safety far more than any tall fence alone can, but getting investments in the waterway has been difficult, he said. 

“We want to actually improve and enhance access,” Elkins said. 

A spokesperson for the Department of Transportation told PIX11 News in June that it had already repaved some roads and improved street lighting conditions in the area. Many venues have made safety adjustments since last summer, Salazar said.