Police found the man's body in the 500 block of Glenwood Avenue early Sunday morning, just outside of Bogart's Restaurant and Bar.
A friend of the victim, who spoke to investigators, says the man may have fallen from the top level of a building in Raleigh's Glenwood South.
The building has bars and restaurants on the lower level and the upper floors have offices and condos.
Eddie Sartin and several other residents made a gruesome discovery in an area known for its nightlife.
"I just came out to walk my dog this morning; there was police tape over by Bogart's," Sartin said. "The tape was there and there were police gathered around and I knew there was some kind of body at that point.
Officers used a blue tarp to cover the man Raleigh Police identified as 26 year old Andrew Linnenburger of Raleigh.
How he ended up dead, police will not say. But a friend of the victim tells Eyewitness News the man fell from the upper level of the building, hit a car on the street, got up, walked a few feet and then collapsed.
Police are not calling the death a homicide, but they're collecting evidence and questioning neighbors.
"They just said have you heard anything and then I asked if they could tell me anything and they said they couldn't tell me anything, they're investigating," Sartin said.
Whatever happened, Sartin is hoping the popular hangout has not turned into his worst fear.
"Police are always very present and there's always a lot of people around, my hope is that it's not a homicide and it's something else," he said.
The victim lived at Glenwood South and that information appears to be part of the investigation.
