Man Dead, Wife & Children Hospitalized In N.J. Carbon Monoxide Incident
BERNARDSVILLE, N.J. (CBSNewYork) – Police made a deadly discovery at a home in Somerset County, New Jersey Thursday.
A man lost his life and his wife and two young children were sickened in what appears to be a case of carbon monoxide poisoning.
It happened about 40 miles west of New York City in the town of Bernardsville.
First responders were called around 5:40 a.m. Thursday to a home on Chestnut Avenue in Bernardsville for reports of a medical emergency.
They found a 59-year-old man dead inside. Neighbors identified him as Olumide Emuleomo.
Police say the smell of gas in the house was overwhelming.
His wife, 51-year-old Uchente Emuleomo, was taken to the hospital and treated for possible carbon monoxide poisoning, as were the couple's two children, 9 and 17 years old.
Firefighters at the scene say there were high levels of carbon monoxide present.
"The daughter's in my son's class in third grade, she's so young," one neighbor said. "We're so sorry for their loss because it could've been prevented."
Neighbors said they were shocked, and one woman told CBS2's Meg Baker she immediately stared checking her carbon monoxide detectors.
The odorless, colorless gas is found in fumes produced any time fuel is burned in cars, engines, stoves, grills, fireplaces, furnaces and more.
The mother and children have been released from the hospital.
It's unclear whether the family had any working detectors inside their home.
