Police say a 29-year-old man is dead after he went to sell his dirt bike to someone he met on Facebook.
Joseph Vindel's body was found in the Garden District of New Orleans this morning, in the 2300 block of Coliseum Street.
His girlfriend reported that Vindel found a buyer for the dirtbike on the Tulane Classifies section of Facebook Marketplace.
The two set up a meeting in Harvey, on the Westbank of Jefferson Parish.
Sheriff Joe Lopinto said at a JPSO news conference that they were able to locate and arrest the suspect. He says the suspect admitted to the murder Sunday morning on Manhatten Blvd., then dumping the car and body in New Orleans.
Lopinto says the suspect rode the dirt bike back from where he left Vindel's body.
The sheriff says they have seen a series of crimes linked to Facebook Marketplace and advised people to exercise caution when meeting someone they contacted on the social media.
Here is the full news release:
Sheriff Joseph Lopinto reports that the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office is investigating a homicide that occurred yesterday in Harvey. The investigation began as a missing persons case in New Orleans.
At this point, our investigators have determined an initial timeline of the incident. Between 10:00 am and noon yesterday, the victim met with the suspect at an apartment complex in the 2100 block of Manhattan Boulevard to sell a dirt bike. During the course of the transaction, the suspect shot and killed the victim. The suspect then drove the victim’s vehicle to the 2300 block of Coliseum Street in New Orleans and abandoned it. The victim’s remains were still inside the vehicle.
Yesterday evening, JPSO was contacted by the victim’s family and became involved in the investigation. Investigators were able to determine the victim’s last known location, and located the victim’s dirt bike at an apartment. Detectives made contact with the resident of the apartment, Jalen Harvey, 20. During questioning, Harvey admitted to shooting the victim and taking the vehicle to New Orleans.
Detectives are currently seeking an arrest warrant for Jalen Harvey for First Degree Murder.
The victim has been identified as Joseph Vindel, 29, of New Orleans.
