Man found unresponsive on Barnegat sidewalk may have suffered a medical condition

A body of a 51-year-old man found on a sidewalk outside a West Village Road home Thursday night is being handled as a death investigation, according to the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office.

Spokesman Al Della Fave said in an email that the unidentified man had some medical issues and that authorities are awaiting a determination from the medical examiner. He said nothing at this point indicates foul play.

Barnegat police were dispatched to the scene around 8:15 p.m. and found the man unresponsive. The unidentified individual was pronounced dead at the scene after attempts by police and EMS to perform life saving measures, according to Della Fave.

A witness reported seeing the man walk across the street and fall into her father's jeep and then to the ground.

Relatives of the victim indicated the man had been experiencing chest pains and numbness in his right arm over the last few weeks, Della Fave said. The man apparently had not been to a doctor in about three or four years, but recently got a new medical card to see a physician because of the chest pains and a cyst growing on the back of his head, according to Della Fave.

The investigation prompted police to cordon off the area around the home and close Barnegat Boulevard between Bayshore Drive and West Village Drive.

Contact reporter Dianne DeOliveira at Dianne.DeOliveira@townsquaremedia.com.