A 49-year-old man covered in a powder was found dead inside a parked car in Glendale early on Saturday morning, prompting a large response from the Fire Department.
Officers from the 104th Precinct and numerous FDNY units responded to a 911 call of a man unconscious inside a parked car at the corner of Myrtle Avenue and 75th Street at around 4 a.m. on March 23.
Upon arriving at the scene, police said, they found the unidentified man unconscious and unresponsive inside a four-door Hyundai sedan. Later on Saturday, the New York Post reported that the man was a Lyft driver.
Preliminary reports circulated on Breaking News Network indicated that the man was covered in an unknown white powder, and the incident appeared to be a “chemical suicide.”
This prompted a response by the FDNY’s Haz-Mat Unit, which worked to make the area safe for firefighters to pull the man’s body out of the car.
Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene; police withheld his identity, pending family notification.
According to the NYPD, his body was transported to the Medical Examiner’s office for an autopsy to determine the cause of death. No foul play is suspected at this time, sources familiar with the investigation said.
QNS reached out to FDNY for further details and is awaiting a response.
A chemical suicide, as defined by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, involves death by exposure to chemical vapors from household chemicals or other products in a confined area. It poses serious risk of injury to first responders and others who may become exposed to the fumes.
