Another article:

February 25, 2004

Scuba diver found dead in Hudson

   By Michael Randall
   Times Herald-Record
   mrandall@th-record.com

   Newburgh – Here's a mystery that would challenge even Sherlock Holmes.
   A man's body is found floating in the Hudson River. He's wearing a
diving mask and scuba gear.
   But it's February, a time of year in the Northeast when only members
of the Polar Bear Club – or actual polar bears – are likely to venture
into the water. [obviously the writer doesn't know jack about diving]
   That's the mystery that federal and local investigators were still
trying to solve yesterday afternoon. The man's body was first spotted
Sunday morning by the crew of a Cyprus-based ship that had just
delivered a load of coal to Dynegy's Danskammer power plant.
   Town of Newburgh police were focusing on identifying the body, but
so far have not even determined whether the victim was a local resident
or someone from a ship.
   Detective Sgt. Margaret O'Neill said investigators were comparing
the victim to recent missing persons reports, but wouldn't disclose
details about the case.
   "Until we identify him, we're not releasing anything," O'Neill said.
   The Coast Guard, which often investigates such incidents in the
river, referred questions to another federal agency – Immigration and
Customs Enforcement, which, like the Coast Guard, falls under the
umbrella of the Department of Homeland Security. [Maybe he floated up
river from the Nuke plant at Indian Point??? :>D]
   ICE agents reportedly were interviewing crew members yesterday. But
two spokesmen for the agency yesterday refused to say why ICE was
involved, and said they could not shed any light on the case.
   "We have a lot of the same questions you do," ICE spokesman Marc
Raimondi said.
   The New York Daily News reported the ship, called the Brussel,
underwent a random, routine inspection by the Coast Guard in New York
Harbor last week before it was allowed to continue up the river.