The skeletal remains found in an old New Jersey police headquarters gutted by fire more than three decades ago, may belong to a homeless man who accidentally locked himself in a holding cell and couldn't get out.

Susan Greenbaum, whose family is in the process of selling the building to a developer, told reporters that New York police believeed the man had got into the Paterson Police Department station on Washington Street, which has been boarded up since the devastating 1980 blaze, and somehow locked himself in the cell.

Greenbaum said that the police thought him to be died there about eight to 10 years ago. She said that the approximate date of death is based on a water bottle and over-the-counter medication found near him in the cell. A contractor working with the new owner of the building found the remains Monday.

Greenbaum said, "It's tragic and we are upset about it. My family was born and raised in this community, and we have a great respect for the community. It's sad that we have a homeless problem."

By Prakriti Neogi