Homeless man found dead on Hempstead Turnpike

A 53-year-old homeless white man was found dead on Hempstead Turnpike, in the proximity of Dunkin Donuts near the intersection at Front Street, at 3:42 a.m. on Sunday, Jan. 19, confirmed a spokeswoman from the Nassau County Police Department’s Public Information Office.

He was confirmed dead on the scene by an EMT, and the body was removed to the Medical Examiner, the spokeswoman said. She could not identify his name or last known address.

Steve Edmondson, the securities director at the Coliseum Motor Inn on 1650 Hempstead Turnpike, said the man went by the name “Wild Bill,” and would often have to be escorted out of the hotel over the years, including a week before he died. “He’s always around,” said Edmondson. “We chase him out off our property all of the time. “

Edmondson, who said the man told him that he grew up in Salisbury, expressed his concern for the homeless population in the local community. “We felt bad we couldn’t give him a place to stay,” Edmondson said. “There’s supposed to be all these programs for homeless … they’ve got to do something for the homeless in Long Island.”