February 20, 2020
Thom Carroll/for PhillyVoice
Firefighters discovered an unidentifiable body after extinguishing a burning car parked in North Philadelphia on Feb. 20, 2020. The body was found resting in an unusual position on the passenger seat, police say.
Firefighters made a startling discovery after extinguishing a car fire in North Philadelphia early Thursday morning.
A body burned beyond recognition was resting in a strange position on the passenger seat.
"It's actually laying on its back with its head down by the floor board and its feet facing the rear of the vehicle. So that is unusual," Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small told the Associated Press.
The body was so badly burned investigators cannot tell the age of the individual, nor if the person was male or female.
The Medical Examiner's Office is investigating the cause of death, according to KYW. It's unclear whether the victim suffered blunt force trauma prior to the car fire, police said.
Firefighters initially responded to the 5000 block of North Sydenham Street after residents in the Logan neighborhood heard an explosion just before 2 a.m., NBC10 reports. They found a burning Mercedes station wagon parked on West Fishers Lane. They put out the fire within 10 minutes.
That's when they found the body, authorities said.
The car was registered to a Philadelphia address, but it wasn't local to the neighborhood, police said.
Police will obtain footage from surveillance cameras in the area to aid in the investigation, according to a report by 6ABC.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
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