A son beheaded his mum and kicked her head across a busy street before killing himself by jumping in front of a train, police believe.
The body of a woman in her 60s was found in a New York street while her severed head was on the opposite side.
Witnesses - who said the woman was wearing only a bra and knickers - were left horrified with some claiming they would need therapy to get over the 'disgusting' sight.
Others said they thought it was a Halloween hoax.
Minutes after the woman's body was discovered a man in his 30s - who police believe was her son - was hit by a train close to the scene.
Jack Imperial, 41, saw the horrific murder scene while travelling in taxi. He said his driver “got sick” after seeing the gruesome scene and quickly drove off.
Speaking to the New York Daily News, he said he thought it was a "Halloween hoax".
Mr Imperial said: “The body’s feet were at the curb, the shoulders were at the middle of the street.
"The head was across the street. I’ve seen some gruesome stuff in my years of living ... but nothing like this."
The body was discovered in front of a Long Island apartment building at 7:55 p.m local time last night.
About 20 minutes after the body was found, a man was hit by a train.
The road the body was found in is a popular route for taxi drivers with a local company saying a number of drivers had witnessed the scene.
It is not yet known if the murder of the woman happened in the street.
Police have not yet released the identities of the man and woman.
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