Palisades Park has ordered a church to stop using its basement as a sleeping area days after a man was found dead there.
PALISADES PARK -- The borough has ordered a church to stop using its basement as a sleeping area days after a man was found dead there.
St. Michael Roman Catholic Church doesn't have the zoning or permits to use its basement as a residence, said David Lorenzo, borough administrator.
The 34-year-old was found dead Wednesday morning. The Bergen County Medical Examiner has yet to release a cause of death, Lorenzo said.
He was one of about six day laborers the Rev. Minhyun Cho, pastor of St. Michael, took in during a recent cold snap. Police have not identified the man. Cho knew him as Mario, but didn't know his last name.
No foul play is suspected, but the death would become especially concerning if it turns out the man died of a contagious disease, Lorenzo said. That's why the borough can't encourage Cho's actions, even if they are meant out of kindness, Lorenzo said.
"We can't look the other way," Lorenzo said. "You just can't do that. It's illegal."
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Lorenzo encouraged people to reach out to the borough to refer anyone in need to the appropriate local or county agency.
Palisades Park has a large foreign-born population, made up of about 13,000 people in a town of about 20,300. About 7,000 are not U.S. citizens, according to Census data.
St. Michael is only permitted to use its basement as an office or storage area, Lorenzo said.
Cho found Mario unresponsive Wednesday morning.
He began taking the workers in only a few days before Mario's death. Cho is worried that others will die if they have to sleep on the streets in the cold.
Cho said he may scoring up money to send them to local motels instead.
"It's very dangerous," he said. "We've got to do something."
After he died, Cho said he gave Mario his last rites and prayed over his body. The pastor hopes to hold a memorial service for Mario.
Myles Ma may be reached at mma@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MylesMaNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.