Body found in clothing deposit bin in Pemberton Township

PEMBERTON TWP., N.J. (WPVI) -- Burlington County officials are investigating after a Good Samaritan alerted them after discovering a body in a clothing bin in Pemberton Township.

The discovery was made around 2 p.m. in the parking lot of a local convenience store.

The woman, who doesn't want her name used, said she saw legs hanging from a Planet Aid donation box. Other bystanders saw it too, but thought it was a hoax.

"I heard the gentleman, who was parked next to us, say that it was just a joke, that someone put a dummy there," she said. "And as I proceeded to walk to the store, my husband yelled over that it was a person."

The woman called 911 while her husband tried to pull the victim out to save him, but he was already dead.

"I don't know when it happened, like how long could he have been there?" she said. "It was so obvious."

Police said it appears the victim got his head trapped in the heavy-top bin.

"The box door is really, really small so if you put your head in there, of course, it's gonna get stuck," said Danielle Cruse of Pemberton.

While police waited for the medical examiner to arrive, they loaded the victim's bike into a police cruiser.

Police said the victim may have been a transient looking for clothes, and this may not have been the first time he tried going into the donation box.

The Good Samaritan is concerned children could go into that same donation bin.

Calls to the Burlington Prosecutors Office, who are handling the case, have not been returned.