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Video shows moment two men dump body of 24-year-old student in Brooklyn
A disturbing video has captured the moment two men allegedly dumped the body of a 24-year-old student in a quiet residential street in Brooklyn.
The security footage, recorded on October 29 in the Canarsie neighborhood, shows two men carrying a heavy duffel bag from the trunk of a car and dragging it to the curb.
Inside the bag was the body of Joseph Owusu, a computer science student who was originally from Ghana but was living in the Bronx.
His remains were found the following morning, October 30, by a person searching for scrap metal, who immediately called the police.
The surveillance video also shows a white sedan stopping in the street with its hazard lights flashing, both rear doors open, and the trunk raised.
One of the men can be seen struggling with the bag and taking it to the sidewalk, as he drags it between a tree and a parking meter. The second man remained near the vehicle.
The footage has become a vital focus for Owusu's family, who are desperately seeking answers about what happened to him and who was responsible for his death.
Grieving brother demands justice for Joseph
Owusu's family said they had last spoken to him earlier that week and had no reason to believe anything was wrong.
On October 31, they were on their way to attend a vigil for Javits Frimpong, a 15-year-old member of the Ghanaian community who had been fatally shot in the Bronx, when they were told by the NYPD that Joseph’s body had been found.
Joseph’s brother, Kojo Yeboah, has now called for justice for his brother and urged anyone who recognizes the people in the video to come forward.
"I need justice for Joseph. I want the truth to come out, the truth to come out, because my brother didn’t deserve to die the way he did. He was only 24. He had a lot of living to do," he said, per The Sun.
Yeboah said he has repeatedly watched the heartbreaking video, hoping to identify the people seen abandoning the bag containing his brother's body.
Joseph was an active member of his church, Ghana United Methodist, where he was an avid pianist.
"He loved the church. He loved things of God," Yeboah said. "From the church, from his friends, he was loved by everyone, everyone."
Alongside studying computer science and participating in church activities, Joseph also worked to support people with disabilities.
An autopsy was underway to confirm his cause of death while the NYPD continues to investigate the circumstances surrounding his death. As of this writing, no arrests have been made.
Ghanaian community also mourns 15-year-old shooting victim
Owusu's death came as New York's Ghanaian community was already mourning the killing of 15-year-old Javits Frimpong, who was killed while on his way to school in the Bronx on October 29.
He was rushed to a local hospital after the shooting, where he was pronounced dead.
Surveillance footage reportedly captured the late teen running, as a person wearing all black trailed behind. Another angle of video footage seemed to show masked individuals in dark clothing escaping the site of the shooting.
The horrific killing has prompted grief and anger in both Ghana and the United States, renewing concerns about gun violence and the safety of young people.
"I lost him," the 15-year-old's father, Thomas Frimpong, told reporters. "I don’t know what to do now," per The Guardian.
Ghana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, condemned the attack in a statement, which read: "We will pursue justice and we will make sure that those who did this do not get away with it."
The Ghana diaspora public affairs collective, a US-based non-profit, also spoke out, saying: "Just one year ago, Javits arrived in the United States from Ghana to reunite with his father and begin a new chapter of his life."
"Like so many Ghanaian immigrant families, his family came together in America with hopes of greater opportunity, security, and a promising future...That future has now been violently taken away," they added.
In a post shared on X, New York mayor Zohran Mamdani said President Trump had agreed to grant a visa to Frimpong's mother, Doris Adu Gyamfi, so she could mourn her son in person.
Mamdani said the murder of a child was a pain no parent should endure, "let alone from thousands of miles away".
"Javits Frimpong's mother deserves to say goodbye to her son in person. I just got off the phone with President Trump, and he has agreed to grant her visa immediately," he said.
"All of New York City is mourning this tragedy."
At the time of the report, police had not announced any arrests in connection with Frimpong's killing and were searching for three teenage boys as part of their ongoing investigation.