Homeless Man's Body Found in Morristown, N.J. Church Stairwell

The dead body of a homeless man known in the area and by the police was found in a church stairwell around lunchtime on Friday.

Barry Lotz, 55, was identified as the man found in the stairwell of First Baptist Church on Washington Street.

No signs of foul play were found, and an autopsy is being performed by the Morris County Medical Examiner’s Office, according to morristowngreen.com.

Someone noticed the body around noon, the report said, and that person alerted a Morris County Park Police officer nearby.

In 2011, Lotz was arrested and charged by Holmdel police with one count of trespassing after he allegedly walked out of a Monmouth County hospital and onto nearby elementary school school grounds.

A school custodian Lotz attempting to enter the school, according to a statement issued by Holmdel Police. According to police, Lotz had been a patient at Bayshore Community Hospital and was trying to find a ride back to the New Hope Foundation in Marlboro, also in Monmouth County, where he was staying. New Hope Foundation served as a drug, alcohol and gambling addiction rehabilitation facility.

Police were called, and Ptl. William Bernard arrested Lotz and charged him with trespassing, police said. He was transported to police headquarters and was later released on the trespassing charge and a warrant from Morristown for previous unspecified charges, according to Holmdel police.

Earlier that year, Lotz had been arrested and charged with driving under the influence by Morristown police when he had attempted to leave the parking lot after drinking, according to a Morristown Police incident report. A priest at the church had attempted to stop Lotz from leaving and had called police to help, according to the report. In that incident, Lotz had received a court date and had been released into the custody of a friend.