The authorities were investigating the mysterious death on Tuesday of a young man in Queens whose face and back had been spray-painted blue by a drinking buddy, the police said.
Investigators did not immediately identify the victim, who was described as a 19-year-old man, or his friend.
The victim’s body, clad in boxer shorts, was found at the bottom of a flight of stairs, the police said. It was unknown whether a fall, excessive drinking or the paint had caused or contributed to his death, investigators said.
The victim and his friend worked together at a bar on Bleecker Street in Greenwich Village, the police said. They had been drinking heavily through Monday night into Tuesday morning at the friend’s apartment at 78-02 86th Avenue in Woodhaven, the police said
At some point, the friend spray-painted the victim’s face and part of his back, apparently as a prank, and then both of them fell asleep, the police said.
When the friend awoke around noon on Tuesday, the victim was unresponsive, the police said. The friend called 911, and Emergency Medical Service workers pronounced the victim dead at the scene.
The city medical examiner’s office said it would perform an autopsy on Wednesday.
No arrest had been made, and the case remained under investigation.
