A prominent Irish photographer and filmmaker, Ross McDonnell, went missing in New York almost a week ago, as per a report in the Independent. The 44-year-old was last seen on a beach in Queens on November 4. As per the New York Police Department, the Emmy Award-winning artist was spotted leaving his home on Taaffe Place in Brooklyn around 8.30 pm local time.
A missing person poster circulating in the city suggests that he might have been seen near Fort Tilden Beach later that evening or early the next morning.
Three days later, on November 7, it was reported that his locked bike was discovered near Fort Tilden Beach. The filmmaker is originally from Howth, north of Dublin, however, he had been residing in Brooklyn, New York.
The police are looking for his "red puffy North Face vest, black and white sneakers, dark-coloured khaki pants, and a black North Face backpack." "You are not in trouble if you picked up his belongings, we just want to locate ASAP for clues to his disappearance," the missing persons notice stated.
Gene Gallerano, his close friend, spoke to The Irish Times and said that it seemed that he had been on the beach, "went out into the ocean" and then disappeared. "He was last seen last Saturday night; the alarm was sounded on Sunday. We don't know much more than that. It's been a very, very emotionally heavy week," Mr Gallerano said.
Mr McDonnell has been described as a tall man with a height of 5 '9'', an athletic build and a distinctive Irish accent.
He was honoured with an Emmy Award in 2021 for his cinematography on the Showtime series 'The Trade'.
According to his website, his first feature picture, 'Colony', debuted at the Toronto International Picture Festival and was nominated for an Irish Film and Television Award and won the IDFA First Feature Award. In 2018, he received a nomination for an Emmy for his directing of the documentary Elian, a feature-length work produced by Jigsaw Productions, CNN Films, and the BBC.
In 2019, he was also shortlisted for one of the most prestigious photography prizes, the Prix Pictet, on the theme of "Hope."
