Con Ed Divers Find Boot- Shod Foot In East River

A Con Ed diver vacuuming out an electrical power bay at the utility's Astoria plant on November 21 found a human foot inside a worker's boot, police said.

An agency spokesperson said the diver was cleaning out the bottom of a bay at Shore Boulevard and 20th Avenue at about 10:30 a.m., when he was shocked to find the boot- with a foot in it.

"Something jammed the vacuum," police sources said. "The diver picked up the item and put it in a salvage bag. When he surfaced and looked into the bag, he saw the boot. When he looked inside the boot he saw the foot. The guy was more than a little shaken up."

Joseph Manzi, plant manager at the Con Ed Shore Boulevard facility, said the agency sends divers into the pitch-black bays about once every decade to clean out river debris.

Police delivered the foot to the city Medical Examiner's Office for testing, authorities said.

Police sources said a check of accident and other incident reports at the Astoria plant over the past 10 years failed to provide any leads to investigators probing the incident.- Liz Goff