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Homeless man found dead outside Bayside LIRR

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THE COURIER/photo by Billy Rennison

A local, well-known homeless man was found dead this morning just steps from the Bayside LIRR station.

William Bateman was found dead by pedestrians at approximately 7 a.m. sitting on a bench on 41st Avenue in Bayside shaded by trees, a place locals often saw him.

“He would sit there every day,” said Ahmed Iftikhar, owner of S&W coffee shop outside the LIRR station. “Sometimes he would stop by the shop, but mostly he stayed on the benches.”

Iftikhar saw Bateman when he came into work at 5 a.m. Customers rushed over to him at about 7 a.m. saying that Bateman wasn’t breathing, prompting Iftikhar to dial 9-1-1.

Passers-by stopped by the benches in the park on 41st Avenue to ask if it was the well-known Bateman who had died.

“He always sat there,” said Frank Collins, a local who sometimes chatted with Bateman. “He was a nice guy.”

Collins said Bateman planned on moving to Alabama to live with his sister after Labor Day.