The parents of an NYPD sergeant and two others were found dead inside a Queens home in what authorities suspect is a case of carbon monoxide poisoning.
Police found four people dead inside the Floral Park home on 86th Avenue at about 3:15 p.m. Friday, and according to sources, carbon monoxide poisoning is a leading theory in the investigation into their deaths.
Investigators are looking into whether a car left running in the garage is the source of the carbon monoxide, sources said. Authorities don't consider the deaths suspicious at this point.
Police on Saturday identified two of the victims as Jerry and Marie Hugel, whose son is an NYPD sergeant. Marie Hugel, 80, was found in the kitchen area of the home, and her 83-year-old husband was found near the car in the garage, law enforcement sources said, stressing that the investigation.is ongoing.
A 76-year-old friend of the couple, Walter Vonthadden, was found in the first-floor living room, and a 70-year-old tenant living upstairs, Gloria Greco, was found in a doorwell, police said.
Neighbor Helga Harter said the elderly couple who lived in the home was from Bavaria, Germany, and that the couple went back to Germany at least once a year.
The Hugels danced once a week at Plattduetsche, a local German restaurant, and Jerry Hugel was the former president of the local German society, said Harter, who has been friends with the couple for 40 years.
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"They were wonderful people," she said. "They've been married for 60 years."
The Hugels had five children, including their NYPD sergeant son.
The Sergeants Benevolent Association said in a statement, "Our prayers are with Sgt. Hugel and his family."
Earlier this week, a mother and her 6-year-old daughter were found dead in their New Jersey home, victims of carbon monoxide poisoning from a gas generator they were using after their electricity was cut for non-payment, family members said. The medical examiner confirmed their causes of death Friday.
Carbon monoxide is odorless and colorless. Here are some ways to protect your family from being exposed:
- Make sure you have working carbon monoxide detectors. They cost as little as $30 at home improvement stores. Install one on each floor of your home.
- Check your appliances. Gas appliances like ranges, ovens or even clothes dryers can produce carbon monoxide if they're not installed or working properly, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
- Have your chimneys and vents inspected every year by a service technician. A block could cause carbon monoxide to back up in to your home.
