Stafford, NJ – Robert M. Pasterchick, 42, died Wednesday morning after his roommates found him lying on the floor unresponsive in his home on Privateer Road, authorities said.
Police will have to wait for the results of the autopsy to determine the cause of death, but one possibility is that it was from carbon monoxide, as a kerosene heater was in use in his enclosed room at the time, said Capt. Thomas Dellane said.
Pasterchick also had a long history of respiratory issues and had leg pain prior to the incident, said Al Della Fave, a spokesman for the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office.
When police arrived to the home around 1:41 a.m., there was an odor and some smoke in the house, but it was quickly ventilated, Dellane said. The two roommates were able to get out of the home and were not injured.
Police gave Pasterchick CPR at the scene, while other officers opened windows and doors, Dellane said. Pasterchick was taken to Southern Ocean Medical Center in Stafford, where he was pronounced dead at 2:28 a.m.
Stafford Police, Stafford EMS, Stafford Fire Department, Ocean County Sheriff’s Criminal Investigations Unit and the Ocean County Prosecutors Office all responded to the scene.