The life of a New York State resident came to a shocking and grisly end Monday when police say he committed suicide by beheading himself in The Bronx.

Tomas Rivera, 51, from Port Jervis, New York, tied his head with a chain to a pole in the Hunts Point section of the borough and then pressed the gas pedal on his car.

Moments later, the man was decapitated, with his severed head left lying in the middle of Longfellow Avenue.

Ghastly scene: Tomas Rivera, 51, beheaded himself on Longfellow Avenue in The Bronx (pictured) using a chain and his Honda Pilot

According to police speaking to New York Daily News, the incident took place just after 9.30am Monday in the 500 block of Longfellow Avenue.

Tomas Rivera attached a chain to an electric pole and then settled behind the wheel of his white 2005 Honda Pilot. The other end of the metal cable was tied around his neck.

The motorist then put the vehicle in drive, police say, and as the Honda lurched forward, Rivera’s head was ripped from his body.

The out-of-control vehicle continued speeding down the street before it crashed into a parked car.

The impact of the collision caused Tomas Rivera's headless body to be ejected from the Honda onto the street, New York Post reported.

Pedestrians who came upon the horrific sight of the headless body initially thought the death was the result of a tragic accident.

Grisly suicide plot: Police say the man tied one end of a chain to this pole and another around his neck before he hit the gas pedal

However, when officers arrived on the scene and launched an investigation, they quickly discovered the chain tied to the pole and obtained surveillance video showing Mr Rivera orchestrating his gruesome suicide.

There is no word at this time what prompted the 51-year-old man to end his life in such a grotesque manner.