Man found dead in SUV that fell into river in Minneapolis was father of 2, owned body arts studio

Officials and family on Monday identified the man who was found dead inside an SUV that plunged into the Mississippi River in Minneapolis.

Police records identified the man as Alexander Toben Emmanuel Levine, 47, of Minneapolis. Police have yet to explain the circumstances leading to the SUV going off the road.

Minneapolis park police and the Fire Department responded about 7:45 a.m. Sunday to a report of a vehicle crash at 33rd Street and West River Parkway, according to Dawn Sommers, a spokeswoman for the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board.

There, at the bottom of a steep embankment, they found the vehicle with Levine inside, Sommers said. Firefighters removed the SUV and had the body sent to the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office, she said.

At the time of his death, Levine owned and operated Steady Tattoo & Piercing in the 2600 block of E. Franklin Avenue in Minneapolis, his former wife said.

Levine performed piercing at the shop, according to his professional biography.

“Alex’s business first opened in the summer of 2001,” the bio read, “and has maintained a status as [running] one of the premier studios in the metro area.”

Anna Levine said the two of them talked just two days ago, and his business was going well. She added that he “was amazing” as a father to their two teenage children.