Berkeley Man Found Dead In Chemical Suicide in NY

A Berkeley man was found dead in his car last Thursday in upstate New York due to intentionally inhaling a toxic mixture of chemicals.

The Cayuga County Sheriff's Office, which patrols the county where the man was found, could not release his name, but an official said a passing motorist observed the car of the 22-year-old former Cornell University student along the side of a road with a sign reading "Danger Toxic Gases."

Hazardous materials teams were called in to remove the gases because, according to Lt. Joseph Weeks of the Cayuga County Sheriff's Office, the gases were lethal to anyone nearby.

Weeks said he had never seen this kind of suicide before. What makes this case even more unusual, Weeks added, is that another man, 21, was found dead under similar circumstances Monday about 50 miles away in Ontario County.

"I was very surprised," Weeks said.

The second man had a similar sign in his car window, though Weeks did not know if the cases are related.

According to Dr. Mel Blaustein of the Psychiatric Foundation of Northern California, using a chemical gas mixture to commit suicide is very rare in the U.S.

"(The man) must have been very serious and very intent," Blaustein said.

Officials have not released the names of the chemicals used, though Weeks said they used could be purchased at any hardware store.