Man Found Dead Behind NJ Shopping Center: Police

CLIFTON, NJ — Officials said they do not suspect foul play in the death of a Clifton man whose body was found behind a shopping plaza earlier this month.

Police were called to a wooded area behind the Botany Plaza shopping center, just before 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 5. Upon arriving, first responders found 49-year-old Cesilio Coyotzi and determined he had died, said Police Lt. Robert Anderson.

Coyotzi's body was located on an embankment between Route 21 and the shopping plaza. Anderson said that officers found a makeshift shelter and some personal belongings nearby.

His cause of death is still under investigation.

Clifton is one of the Passaic County communities that has an overnight warming center during a "Code Blue," when temperatures are below freezing and could be life-threatening to people without shelter. Anderson said that anyone in need of shelter can call their local police department or the state 2-1-1 hotline.

The high temperature that day was around 32 degrees and the low was 25, according to data from the Office of the State Climatologist.

A friend of Coyotzi's told northjersey.com that he was a kind man who "would give you the shirt off his back."

Officials in Passaic County are also looking for volunteers for the annual Point In Time Count, which is a statewide effort to connect with people experiencing homelessness in the community. Community members can join the county and several local partners to provide resources and support.

The annual Point In Time Count report, released by the nonprofit Monarch Housing Associates, compiles a wealth of data about the severity and causes of homelessness in the Garden State.

Volunteers counted a total of 12,680 people experiencing homelessness across New Jersey last January, which was a 23.5 percent increase from 2023. That included 710 people in Passaic County, 57 of whom were in Clifton on the night of the count.

Related article — Homelessness Is On The Rise In New Jersey, Report Says (Here’s Why)