A gaggle of TV and print news reporters gathered near the path to Lookout Hill in Prospect Park yesterday waiting for news from the Police Department about the man who was murdered there.

The TV journalists stayed in one area, the print journalists and photographers in another. It was an interesting scene.

The reporter from the Daily News announced that the area was called Lookout Hill. Reporters shot out questions to the cops that were guarding the path about the geography.

"The road over there is called Wellhouse Drive," one cop said referring to the path that goes south to north next to the Lake.

Most of the unconfirmed information about the body came from the reporters. One TV reporter, who was rushing off to edit her story, told me incorrectly that they found a skeleton under a pile of leaves and that it was probably an old murder. She was absolutely wrong about that.

A reporter who actually climbed up the hill before the police closed off the area saw the body and said he saw a male, probably hispanic, in a white t-shirt and blue jeans, lying in an area near Lookout Hill.

The reporters stopped runners, who slowed down to see why there were so many police cars, and asked them how they felt about a Homicide in Prospect Park. One reporter said something to the effect of: We need to fan the flames of tabloid-dom. One young  photographer said  to me: I’m supposed to stop people on the road  and ask them how they feel but it’s embarrassing.

Bikers and runners did react to news of the crime. People kept walking up to me to find out what was going on. People looked shocked but not surprised that something like this could happen in our park. One person said, "I’m not going to tell my wife about this because she’s in this park every day."

Some wanted to know if Lookout Hill is a gay cruising spot—as if that would somehow explain a crime of this nature. One guy, a news photographer said, "Some guy was bludgeoned about a year and a half ago on the other side of the park. A known homosexual. It was in the Vale of Cashmere."

Others acknowledged that the inner paths of the park are dark and mysterious and not a place they’d want to go after dark or alone.

I overheard some policemen talking about the hill as the site of the  Battle of Brooklyn, which was fought on August 27th 1776. I didn’t write down what they said so I looked it up today. Here’s Dalton Rooney:

The setting for the first major battle of the Revolutionary War. The
Continental Army lost the battle, but they held the British back long
enough for Washington and his troops to escape to New Jersey.

The reporters watched as the medical examiner’s van drove up the narrow path. Later four detectives in natty suits went up the hill. One looked like Liam Neeson and had a wide white tie.

Finally the van holding the body came down the hill. Someone, I think it was one of the cops said, "Hey guys, here’s your shot."

The photographers positioned themselves to get a picture of the van as it drove by. Later some cops,wearing plastic gloves and holding large brown paper bags, came down.

"No comment," they said brusquely. 

When the well-dressed detectives emerged, some reporters asked for a comment but none was forthcoming.

The TV crews were waiting for permission to go up the path. "Can we go up to the tape?" the attractive news anchor asked again and again. But I don’t think anyone was allowed near the crime scene yesterday. Once most of the police left the scene, the reporters did, too.

The park was peaceful. In other areas no one seemed aware that a man was murdered in the park. They just went about their day at the playground, running the drive, in Long Meadow.

A humid and peaceful weekday in the park.

Photo of Lookout Hill taken by Dalton Rooney.