Police reportedly discovered a deceased woman’s body inside a parked car allegedly containing “liquid chemicals” Sunday morning in Manhattan, causing a major hazmat response by the city.
First responders, including police, firefighters and officials in hazardous material (hazmat) suits and masks can be seen on video surrounding what appears to be a black car, reportedly parked in Midtown East on Sunday. While initial reports suggested multiple people were injured in the incident, later reports indicate that may not be the case.
🚨#BREAKING: Multiple people injured with one Fatally by Hazardous Materials found inside a vehicle
⁰📌#Manhattan | #NewYorkA deadly incident has occurred in Midtown East Manhattan involving hazardous material that is yet to be identified. One person has died, and four others… https://t.co/Ocejd2nECI pic.twitter.com/swI7isvqEv
— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) March 5, 2023
A dogwalker first saw the 35-year-old woman inside the car shortly before noon, with police suspecting she may have taken her own life, Newsweek reported. When officers approached the vehicle and opened the door, they were hit with a strong chemical odor, described as “sulphuric,” which then filled the street, according to the outlet. It remains unclear what chemicals specifically were involved in the incident, but officers nearby were reportedly shaken.
“I have never seen anything like that,” one unnamed officer told amNewYork Metro. “That is someone’s daughter.” (RELATED: Assistant Principal Of California Middle School Commits Suicide On Campus)
A medical examiner is working to determine the woman’s official cause of death. It is not yet known whether her death was purposeful, a process known as “chemical suicide,” amNewYork Metro reported. If this is found to be the case, the woman would be at least the second person to die in such a manner in NYC in the last four years, according to the outlet.