TikTok is a resource for a lot of things. From new dance numbers to relationship advice, it seemingly has it all. The latest conversation on the app is a little more frightening than others. Users have decided that a serial killer must be lurking in New York City.
It started in the summer of 2023 with two men who were last seen at Brooklyn Mirage, a club in Williamsburg—in the middle of nowhere Brooklyn—before their bodies were found days later in a nearby creek. The club sits in a stretch of warehouses and empty buildings, long blocks with fenced off areas, and not really much going on around the venue. Discussion of the deaths died down as summer came and went that year, but social media has picked the story back up when another young man was found in the same creek this summer.
The authorities have said these men fell in the water after a night out and drowned, likely due to being intoxicated, but TikTokers have decided something else is going on. But while some of the families have even said the official explanation doesn’t make sense, there’s a noticeable degree of sensationalism to the way that TikTokers are talking about it. We don’t know that these deaths are related, and there’s little information available that even could confirm any truth behind the “serial killer” idea. So let’s talk about what we do know.
Karl Clemente
In June 2023, Karl Clemente was last seen at the Brooklyn Mirage before his body was found in Newton Creek days later. The walk from Brooklyn Mirage to the creek is over 37 minutes, approximately. Clemente was reportedly barred from entering the venue because he was too intoxicated, though some have claimed that it doesn’t make sense for someone to trip and fall in that creek regardless.
Prior to the other deaths last summer, Clemente’s family was told it was an accident and that he drowned in the creek, but that hasn’t stopped them searching for answers. His father, Alexander Clemente, has been very vocal about how police ruled it an accident and people only cared once John Castic also went missing.
According to The Independent, Clemente’s father is still wondering why his son was seen running. “I will accept that it was an accidental death — OK, he fell in the water,” his dad said. “But what caused it? Why was he running? It’s like a movie. There’s no such thing as a movie where it’s the beginning and the end. You have to see the whole movie.”
John Castic
A 27-year-old Goldman Sachs analyst was found in the creek the following month. John Castic also was last seen at a concert at Brooklyn Mirage and was found in the Newton Creek a week later. The official cause of death was drowning, much like Clemente. While the police do not think there is a connection between the two, Clemente’s father did at the time.
Castic’s family attributed his death to a peanut allergy, saying that he told his friends he didn’t feel well when he left Brooklyn Mirage.
More concerning allegations
When a situation like this becomes sensationalized, people suddenly all have stories. One patron claimed a man tried to strangle them outside of Brooklyn Mirage on social media. There has not been evidence of that being true. Another claim involved an alleged kidnapping, which was instantly connected to Castic and Clemente’s death as tensions around the venue were high.
Damani Alexander
The latest body found in Newtown Creek belonged to Damani Alexander. Last seen at the Knockdown Center (about a 19-minute walk from Brooklyn Mirage), Alexander is the first person found dead in the creek in 2024, and his mother suspects foul play. Desiree Nicholson pointed out that something does not seem right, as her son knew how to swim.
“The first thing they said to me is that they found him floating in the water, but there is no foul play, there’s no blunt trauma and there is no marks of violence. So I said, how can that be? I mean, Damani is a person who knows how to swim,” Nicholson said.
It was frankly bad enough when two young men died in the creek, but for a third body to show up in the creek in the last year with nothing done to change the conditions of that area is alarming. “You have one or two, yeah, but when you have three, now we’re seeing an alarming pattern,” City Councilman Robert Holden said. “We need better lighting there, but should also, if we’re gonna open up clubs, we gotta put up fencing so people just don’t fall into the creek,” he said.
The more alarming aspect of Alexander’s case is the final text messages that he sent to his friends. According to friends, as reported by CBSNews.com, Alexander sent, “I think dudes trynna kill me,” and then sent, “Dudes waiting for me outside.” He stopped responding after that.
What does this all mean?
If you log onto social media, they are all screaming “serial killer,” but speculating on cases like that is not really helpful to the victims. What we should have done after Clemente’s death is help make the Newton Creek area safer by including more lights and cameras so that this did not happen again.
But for now, all we know is that these three young men tragically lost their lives at much too young an age, and our hearts go out to their families.
Published: Sep 6, 2024 11:38 am