Cause of Vegas Mayor’s Son’s Injury a Mystery

Police say they’re unsure whether the son of Las Vegas’ current and former mayors was injured in an attack or an accident while jogging earlier this month.

Las Vegas police spokesman Bill Cassell, in a statement issued late Saturday, said the serious head injury suffered by Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Eric Goodman at South Tower Park on Dec. 15 is under investigation.

“Because Judge Goodman’s injuries have prevented him from providing information concerning the incident, no accurate determination can be made as to whether any criminal activity was involved in this case,” he said.

As a result, Cassell said, police are seeking the public’s help for leads in the case involving the son of Mayor Carolyn Goodman and former Mayor Oscar Goodman.

Eric Goodman was found unconscious in a men’s restroom at the park about 2.5 hours after he left home to go jogging. The 6-foot-3, 220-pound Goodman was wearing a gray beanie, a gray jogging suit, a T-shirt and blue tennis shoes.

Police Lt. Clint Nichols said detectives are unsure if the judge was assaulted or injured in a fall. Investigators are awaiting clearance from a doctor when Goodman is lucid enough to make his first official statement.

“He may not remember anything,” Nichols told the Las Vegas Review-Journal, adding the person who found the judge told detectives all he said when found was, “What happened?”

Carolyn and Oscar Goodman issued a statement saying their son suffered a traumatic injury.

“He received the best of care at University Medical Center. He is now in a rehabilitation center and doing very well. The family asks that our privacy is respected through his recovery,” they added.

Oscar Goodman told the Las Vegas Sun that his son’s recovery has been “a miracle of miracles.”