A 21-year-old Salve Regina University student died Monday evening from carbon monoxide poisoning after being found unconscious inside a vehicle that was covered in snow, according to the Newport Police Department.
Newport Police and Fire Departments responded to a Bellevue Avenue parking lot at about 7:20 p.m. on February 23 to check on a person inside a vehicle. When they arrived, they found Joseph Boutros unconscious inside the vehicle, which was covered in snow with its exhaust pipe embedded in the snow. Boutros had been charging his cell phone, police said. The Newport Police Department initially reported that the vehicle was running but later clarified that it was not.
Newport Fire Rescue transported Boutros to the Newport Hospital Emergency Room, where he was pronounced deceased a short time later due to carbon monoxide poisoning.
The Newport Police Department said the incident was accidental. The circumstances surrounding the source of the carbon monoxide remain unclear following the department’s correction that the vehicle was not running.