Death of man at JFK-UMass station called a suicide

A man found dead early Friday morning on the grounds of the JFK-Mass MBTA station took his own life, according to multiple sources familiar with what happened at the scene.

The MBTA Transit Police responded to the location about 5:30 a.m on May 18 after commuters reported a man hanging from a railing on the Sydney Street side of the station. Sources familiar with the incident say surveillance video shows the man— who has not been named — using a bedsheet as a noose around his neck before jumping.

The sources say that the man— a native of Pakistan who was a former student at UMass Boston— left a note for relatives indicating his intentions.

The Reporter does not typically report on individual acts of suicide. But this was a public act, with its aftermath seen by a number of people and images of the scene later shared on social media. The news and the images sparked unwarranted speculation about the cause of the death, police sources say.

While an official cause of death will await the determination of the medical examiner's office, MBTA Police Supt. Richard Sullivan— who responded to the scene himself— said on Monday that there is no truth to the rumor that foul play was involved in the incident. "This young man's family has requested privacy at this time," he added.

The MBTA station was closed last Friday for about one hour as police conducted their investigation.


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