Driver spots human remains off Southern State Parkway, New York State Police investigating

ISLIP, N.Y. — New York State Police are investigating after human remains were found in a wooded area on Long Island. 

Investigators spent Thursday combing the woods near the Southern State Parkway in West Islip after getting a tip from a driver who spotted something eerie while getting off Exit 40 during the morning rush. 

“An individual traveling eastbound on the Southern State Parkway got off the off ramp to the Robert Moses State Parkway southbound and pulled over onto the shoulder of the road when something in the wood line caught his eye,” said New York State Police Captain Christopher Casale. “This individual believed it to be human skeletal remains.” 

Watch: New York State Police discuss human remains found on Long Island

The remains are believed to be male, according to law enforcement sources.   

“It’s too early to tell the identity of the human remains or the involvement of any type of criminality,” said Casale. 

Officials were waiting for the medical examiner’s officer to determine the identity of the remains and what happened to them.