A headless body with no arms washes up on a New York beach

• A headless, armless body washed up on a Queens beach.
• Cops suspect the discovered body was maimed in the ocean by local marine life, waves, and sharp rocks.

A human torso was discovered lying on a Queens beach by police,

The headless, armless body washed up on the Rockaway peninsula on Friday afternoon, per Gothamist. Officials said they responded to the scene at Breezy Point Beach shortly after noon on Friday in response to a 911 call.

Cops suspect the mutilated body was maimed in the ocean by local marine life, waves, and sharp rocks.

The torso and legs were spotted in broad daylight near the Silver Gull Beach Club in the federally-owned Gateway National Recreation Area, said police.

"It's not uncommon with the churning current and rocks for this to happen," a police source told The New York Daily Post.

New York saw an increase in shark bites this year. Sharks have been returning to coastal waters near the city, prompting a surge in shark sightings and attacks.

The city Medical Examiner has yet to conduct an autopsy and disclose the cause of death.

An NYPD spokesperson told Business Insider: "EMS responded and pronounced the aided deceased at the scene. The investigation is ongoing. The Medical Examiner will determine the cause of death. "

The grim discovery comes only weeks after Ross McDonnell, an Emmy award-winning filmmaker and photographer from Dublin, disappeared on November 4 after riding his bike to the Rockaways.

McDonnell's bike was found at Fort Tilden Beach near Roxbury, a popular swimming location three miles from Breezy Point Beach.

Of his disappearance, his close friend Gene Gallerano told The Irish Times that it had been a "very, very emotionally heavy week."

"We believe the Irish filmmaker drowned and this is his torso," a police source with knowledge of the case said, per New York Daily News.

Detectives are waiting for the results of a DNA comparison. The body would have been dismembered over the course of more than two weeks.

"The identity of the deceased is pending proper family notification," an NYPD spokesperson told Business Insider.