NYC artist who paints with human blood busted with cache of ‘illegal guns’ after cops responded to drug overdose
An infamous New York City artist who paints with human blood was arrested after police responded to reports of an overdose and found a cache of unregistered guns inside his Staten Island home, police said.
First responders were initially called to the home on Wood Avenue in Tottenville for a report of an unconscious person. They found Vincent Castiglia, 42, a well-known tattooist and blood artist with thousands of followers on social media, police sources told The Post.
Cops were called to the scene as the unusual artist was receiving first aid and were notified of a firearm spotted in Castiglia’s bedroom, sources said.
Officers found a .380-caliber Smith & Wesson EZ handgun, loaded with one round in the chamber and seven rounds in the magazine, on his bedpost the morning of Aug. 25, prompting a search warrant to be executed the next day, police said.
During their search, police confiscated additional firearms and ammunition, including a 12-gauge Mossberg shotgun with six shells in the magazine, which was found hidden inside Castiglia’s bedroom closet, according to law- enforcement sources.
A .22-caliber KelTec pistol with a large-capacity magazine was also seized, sources said.
Police also recovered a loaded .32-caliber Seecamp pistol, which was found in a vest in the bedroom, police sources said.
Castiglia’s paintings, which have been exhibited in galleries and museums across the US and internationally, are made entirely with human blood.
He bills his works as “monochromatic tableaux examining life, death, and the human condition,” according to his website.
His social media also promotes his work as a tattoo artist.
The NYPD praised the work of the officers involved, writing on X: “An overdose investigation leads to a search warrant that takes three guns and MANY rounds of ammo off the streets. Another job well done by members of the 123rd!”
Castiglia told police he bought and registered the KelTec pistol at a gun range in Florida. However, Castiglia did not have a license to possess firearms in New York City, the sources added.
He has been charged with criminal possession of a weapon, criminal possession of a firearm and unlawful possession of ammunition. He has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges.
Castiglia is being held at Rikers Island with bail set at $100,000/$20,000 cash.
He was due back in criminal court in St. George on Friday.
