Police have cordoned off a Hamilton East shopping area after the body of a man was found in a car this morning.
A person called police shortly after 8am after they saw the man in the front passenger seat.
Forensics staff dressed in white overalls are currently investigating the scene. The man, believed to be Maori or a Pacific Islander with shoulder-length hair, is still in the car.
A shopkeeper who gave her name as Julie said the man's silver Toyota Celica had been a familiar sight in the car park at the Clyde Shopping Centre over the past two weeks.
She believed he had been sleeping in his car in the carpark.
What appeared to be a large bag could be seen in the backseat of the car.
A detective at the scene said it was too early to say if the man's death was suspicious.
He said the body will be removed from the scene shortly and will be taken to Waikato Hospital for an autopsy.
