Metr. Joseph Found in New York Hospital After Traffic Accident
Bulgarian Orthodox hierarch located after photograph helped police connect him to an earlier ambulance call.
NEW YORK — Metr. Joseph, 83, head of the Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Diocese of the USA, Canada and Australia, was found in a Manhattan hospital after being reported missing in New York on Saturday.
The hierarch had last been seen near West 42nd Street and Ninth Avenue in Hell's Kitchen at approximately 10 a.m. on Friday. Roughly half an hour later, an elderly man had been struck by a vehicle near West 47th Street and 10th Avenue and transported by ambulance to a local hospital.
A photograph of the incident sent to local outlet W42ST by a reader helped authorities establish that the man involved in the accident was Metr. Joseph. W42ST provided the photograph and information to the NYPD, which subsequently traced the hierarch to the hospital.
According to a statement released by the diocese, Metr. Joseph, whose full name is Joseph Bosakov, had been registered at the hospital under a patronymic name rather than his surname. The discrepancy prevented hospital records from initially being matched with attempts to locate him.
The diocese later confirmed that Metr. Joseph had been struck by a vehicle and admitted to the hospital for treatment. He suffered a fracture to the little toe of his left foot and underwent successful surgery.
"Thanks be to God and through the protection of the Most Holy Theotokos, His Eminence escaped without serious injuries," the diocesan chancery said. His condition is reported to be stable and improving, with discharge expected soon.
Bulgaria's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Tuesday that its Consulate General in New York was monitoring the metropolitan's condition. A consular representative visited him on Sunday and was informed by his medical team that he was conscious, responsive, and in stable, non-life-threatening condition.
The diocese expressed gratitude to clergy and faithful who prayed for Metr. Joseph during the period when his whereabouts and condition were unknown and asked for continued prayers for his full recovery.
Metr. Joseph serves as diocesan prelate of the Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Diocese of the USA, Canada and Australia and typically presides at Saints Cyril and Methodius Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Cathedral in Manhattan.
Previously, the UOJ reported that the same Bulgarian diocese had issued a statement of support for Patr. Daniel amid a dispute with Archimandrite Nicanor (Mishkov).