Rye Brook, NY – RYE BROOK – Police responded to a home on Maywood Avenue Monday afternoon, to investigate the deaths of two people from apparent carbon monoxide poisoning.
Both police and family members identified the dead as Carl Persson, 85, the home’s owner, and step-grandson, Joseph Pendrak, 52, who also lived there.
Police found the bodies in their beds in separate bedrooms, shortly after noon.
Persson’s car, which was parked in the single-car attached garage, had run out of gas and had a dead battery. Police said the keys were in the ignition and in the on position
Bill Stager, Persson’s step-son, said he may have been the last person to see the pair alive on Saturday afternoon. He said when he left, Persson “told me he was going out to get Kentucky Fried Chicken for dinner; the buckets are still on the table.”
Family members became concerned Monday when nobody could get in touch with the pair, he said.
Persson bought the home in 2001, according to village records. A second family said Persson was a retired Teamster and Pendrak had worked in the hospitality business but was out on disability.
Carbon monoxide is a byproduct of burning fuels such as gasoline, oil, kerosene, wood or charcoal. The odorless, colorless gas can become lethal within minutes, depending on the levels and the person’s physical condition.
Last year in Rockland County, a family of seven including three young children were sickened by carbon monoxide but survived. In January, Ossining police along with a paramedic rescued several unconscious people sickened by carbon monoxide, later sharing the video from their body cameras on social media to raise awareness.
About carbon monoxide:
Chronic carbon-monoxide poisoning may cause flu-like symptoms that improve when you’re not at home
Headache, general malaise, nausea, vomiting and dizziness are all possible symptoms of CO poisoning
Make sure you have a carbon monoxide detector in your home, and change the batteries twice a year
Faulty furnaces, space heaters and generators – along with vehicle exhaust – can produce dangerous levels of carbon monoxide
Carbon monoxide exposure is of greater concern in the winter, due to the use of furnaces, space heaters and generators, all of which may produce dangerous levels of the gas.
Acute carbon monoxide poisoning can kill rapidly, with victims sometimes falling into a coma while they’re asleep.