Decapitated man found behind Hazlet theater

BY DAN NEWMAN
Staff Writer

HAZLET — Two juveniles came upon a gruesome discovery Saturday night when they saw a man who had apparently committed suicide and, in the process, was decapitated.

The body of Wolfgang Persieck, 50, of Union Beach, was spotted by the two teens, ages 14 and 17, as they rode through the back parking lot of the Hazlet Multiplex Cinemas theater around 10:30 p.m.

“The two juveniles were riding around when they saw a decapitated body hanging over the back seat of a vehicle,” Hazlet Detective Sgt. Howard Nuss said. “At this point, they flagged down Holmdel Officer David D’Arcy, who was in the area investigating a separate incident.”

According to Nuss, Persieck decapitated himself by using three separate ropes, tying one end of each around a light post in the back parking lot of the theater located on the northbound side of Route 35, and the other around his neck.

Once the ropes were secure, Persieck got into his 2004 Ford Explorer and started to drive. His head was found approximately 100 feet from his body, Nuss said.

“There were no skid marks, so we don’t believe that he was going at a high rate of speed. He had about a 40-foot run-up so we figure at best he was doing 30 mph at the moment of decapitation,” Nuss said.

The vehicle coasted to a stop about 200 feet later, after it hopped a curb and hit a small tree. Nuss said that it was evident after talking to family members and discovering other supporting materials, that it was a suicide.

“Apparently, he [Persieck] had been having problems recently in his life. He left six pages of notes in the vehicle, which we found afterward,” Nuss said. “The kids who found the victim were definitely shaken up.”

He also said that grief counselors would be available to the teens if needed.

“This is certainly a unique case. I’ve been an officer for 24 years and this was not a common thing at all. I’ve come across my fair share of suicides, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like this,” Nuss said.