Police investigating 'suspicious' death of 8-year-old Newark girl

NEWARK, New Jersey (WABC) -- Police are investigating the death of an 8-year-old girl in Newark that officers say has been labeled suspicious.

The investigation unfolded on a commercial strip on South Orange Avenue Sunday just after 2 p.m. Police have taped off the entire building, with the crime scene wrapping around the block.

Many longtime residents say they did not even realize anyone was living up there.

"That is crazy! That's crazy! I've never heard anything like that happen around here," resident Jean Gordon said.

The case is being investigated by the Essex County Prosecutor's Major Crimes Task Force, which includes detectives from the Newark Police Department.

The cause and manner of death will be determined by an autopsy performed by the Medical Examiner's Office. It is unclear at this point what makes the girl's death suspicious.