A popular Big Apple DJ who mysteriously vanished three weeks ago has been identified by sources as the man discovered dead on a houseboat in Queens.
Reda Briki, aged 52, was discovered unconscious and unresponsive by a friend inside a boat docked at the intersection of Railroad and Greenpoint avenues in Newton Creek Marina on Sunday afternoon, according to sources.
The electronic dance music artist, who was a co-founder of Love that Fever, was declared dead at the location. His friends, who had initiated a thorough search after his last sighting on June 14, suspect that he passed away several weeks prior.
“It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Reda Briki in June 2025,” friend Tim Fielding shared in a Facebook post on Tuesday, paying tribute to Briki’s “multiple talents, positive demeanor, incredible abilities, and playful humor.”
“This news may come as a shock, and we know Reda meant many things to many people – a friend, a brother, a fellow creative spirit. He had a wild and beautiful energy, and he moved through the world in his own unique way. He made a lot of people happy with his music,” he continued.
“On a personal note, it was just 5 weeks ago he was with me, rocking in a festival in Devon, taking people on a deep tribal house journey, living his best life. Gone too soon. Safe travels back to the music, brother. RIP.”
Briki may have died about a week before his decomposed corpse was discovered, sources said, adding that he suffered no apparent signs of trauma and is not immediately believed to be the victim of a crime.
The Medical Examiner’s office did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
For nearly three weeks, friends and fans plastered fliers and flooded social media in a desperate effort to find Briki, who they said was last seen DJing at Maison Harlem, a French bistro in West Harlem.
Briki, who hailed from the French Algiers, was widely regarded as a trailblazer of electronic dance music during his nearly 20 years in the business, according to his website.
“Originally from French Algiers but coming of age in Parisian club culture, Reda was surrounded by a world of rich electric influences of tribal percussion, pumping rhythms, pulsing beats and thumping grooves,” his bio says.
“This rich exposure laid the groundwork for Reda’s fervent pursuit of making house music his lifelong calling. With over 18 years behind the decks, Reda’s powerful skill for pushing musical boundaries has become known through his original music and event productions.”
Sunday’s discovery marks the fourth body recovered from Newton Creek in the last two years.
Police, who have not publicly identified Briki, said the investigation is ongoing.
