UK police unable to identify man who fell from sky

LONDON (AP) — Police believe he was from Africa, probably from Angola, but they don't know his identity.
The mystery began in September when residents of a suburban street in the Mortlake neighborhood of West London woke up on a quiet Sunday morning to find the crumpled body of a black man on the sidewalk of Portman Avenue, near a convenience store, an upscale lingerie shop and a storefront offering Chinese medical cures.

Detectives believed at first the man was a murder victim and cordoned off the area. Within a day, however, police concluded the man — probably already dead — had fallen to the ground when a jet passing overhead lowered its landing gear as it neared the runway at nearby Heathrow Airport.

The apparent stowaway had no identification papers — just some currency from Angola, leading police to surmise that he was from that African nation, especially as inquiries showed that a plane from Angola was beginning its descent into Heathrow at about that time.

The macabre explanation made perfect sense to residents, who are familiar not only with the roar of the jets descending, but are also able to see the planes lower their landing gears as they pass overhead said Catherine Lambert, who lives a few doors down from the spot where the man landed.

"You could see him, his body was contorted," she said. "It was a beautiful blue day, really sunny, but we had to keep the children inside. I didn't want the children to see, and to have to explain to them and put fear into them every time a plane goes over."

A post mortem conducted two days after the body landed listed the cause of death as "multiple injuries."

In the days afterward, some neighbors put flowers on the spot where the stowaway was found, and a small group of Angolans who live in the London area came to place more flowers and to pray. Lambert, 41, said there is lingering sadness, since the man has not been identified and there has been no way to tell his family he is gone.

"I felt, what was he running away from? What made him think he could he could? And how will his family ever know? He's a lost soul now; his father and mother are probably waiting for him to make contact," she said.

A London police spokesman, who wasn't authorized to speak on the record because of force policy, said Sunday that police are appealing to the public for help identifying the man based on a composite image of his face and a photo of a tattoo on his left arm. The tattoo showed the letters "Z'' and "G''

In a statement, police said the man is believed to be an African of slight build between the ages of 20 and 30. He was wearing jeans, white sneakers and a gray sweatshirt when he was found on Sept. 9, police said.

Source

So so sooooooo very sad!

Hope he can be identified. . .at least give his parents some measure of closure.

LOL @fell from the sky.

When na only for Africa person go enter luggage compartment for plane just to land Obodo oversea. Na same African man go do like Car seat just to cross from Morroco to Spain.


Enough desperation to leave Africa by Africans.

Rest in peace dude. The hustle for a better life have finally come to an end for you. Now go and rest in peace.

I thought fell from the sky, meaning angel or some sort of positive thing from Africa!

Never thought that the guy wan hassle go uk! Africa my Africa, when is this gonna stop?

How can you guys laugh at a time like this!!

This is not funny.

Have submitted the link for front page consideration.

That's definitely not a nice way to die.

Sisi_Kill: How can you guys laugh at a time like this!!

My dear, we can't keep crying on every bad news na! I didn't come into this world to be sad o!

The story is funny and sad at same time!