Thousands Pass By Man Hanging Dead from Tree on Lake Shore Drive Without Noticing

Thousands of bikers, joggers, motorists and buses appeared to have passed by a man hanging dead from a tree along Lake Shore Drive without noticing him during Monday morning’s rush hour.

The man, identified as Abdela M. Hagaito, 42, of the 6000 block of North Kenmore Avenue, by the Cook County Medical Examiner, was spotted hanging from the tree in a fielded area of Lake Shore Drive around 7:50 a.m., NBC 5 Chicago reported.

Linda Ewen, a caseworker for the city’s Department of Human Services, told the Chicago Tribune she was gazing out the window at the lake from her Uber ride when she noticed something that wasn’t quite right.

“I wasn’t focused on the road. I was looking at the lake. I saw what looked like a big man hanging from a tree,” she said. “I kind of did a double-take, like what the heck, you know?”

At first, Ewen thought that the man might be stretching or working out. Then she noticed his feet about a foot off the ground. The man was wearing a big coat.

“Everyone was just biking and jogging. Nobody seemed to notice,’’ Ewen told the newspaper.

Police said the tree was located off the bike path near Foster Avenue. A large section of the area was cordoned off as police conducted a non-criminal death investigation.

Hagaito appeared to have committed suicide, police said. He was pronounced dead at the scene around 8 a.m.