NYPD Seeks Tips in 1999 Queens Cold Case: What Really Happened to Jeffrey Blackman?

The New York Police Department is seeking assistance from the public to solve the cold-case murder of a man from Kew Gardens. His body was discovered over 26 years ago inside a vehicle close to Flushing Meadows Corona Park.

Police from the 107th Precinct In Fresh Meadows, they replied to a 911 call about an unattended car situated opposite 70-89 Park Drive East near Willow Lake. Kew Gardens Hills At 5 A.M. on Tuesday, April 20, 1999.

When they arrived, the officers discovered a severely decomposed corpse of a 42-year-old male inside the trunk of a Buick sedan. The emergency medical services were called but declared him deceased upon their arrival.

In June 1999, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner classified the case as a homicide and determined the identity of the victim to be Jeffrey Blackman, residing on Talbot Street in Kew Gardens. It was concluded that Blackman died from strangulation.

The deserted Buick belonged to Blackman. Shortly after Blackman was killed, there were initially three calls to the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline, yet these didn’t turn into viable clues, leaving the investigation stagnant. Over twenty-five years later, numerous new tips flooded the Crime Stoppers Hotline in January 2025.

On Wednesday, the NYPD released an updated version of Blackman’s photograph with hopes that it might lead to additional clues in the investigation, according to remarks made by a police spokesperson.

Individuals who have any details about this unsolved murder case are encouraged to contact the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or dial 1-888-57-PISTA (74782) for Spanish speakers. Tips can also be submitted via theCrime Stoppers website. crimestoppers.nypdonline.org Or on X (previously known as Twitter) at @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.