Police: Man Playing Scavenger Hunt Finds Dead Body in Woods

It was as if a crime TV show scene played out in Mahwah last Saturday afternoon when a man following clues to an online scavenger hunt found a dead body in the woods, Mahwah Police Chief Jim Batelli confirmed Friday.

According to police, a man was a contestant in a scavenger hunt in which clues are given out online and, though no ultimate prize is offered, contestants follow them around the region as sport. A clue led the man to a century-old cemetery in wooded state land off of Route 202 in Mahwah, Batelli said.

“The man found a dead body about 15 feet from old cemetery,” Batelli said.

Police identified the body as a Glen Rock man in his late 50s who was in the woods hunting, Batelli said.

“He was a hunter. He had wading boots on and it appeared he had waded through the Ramapo River and was on his way back to his truck, which was parked nearby,” Batelli said.

Police said they believe the man suffered a medical condition while in the woods that caused his death.

“There were no signs of foul play at all,” Batelli said.  

Police said they believe the man died sometime last Saturday morning, only a few hours before the scavenger hunter found him.