Man, 85, dies in gas-filled apartment; woman overcome

• Police find 85-year-old man dead and 84-year-old woman unconscious in gas-filled Orangeburg apartment.
• The kitchen stove was on in the apartment at 2 Blue Hill Commons%2C police said.
• First-responders said the stove%27s burner was on%2C but not lit.

ORANGEBURG – In an apartment reeking of natural gas, officers found an 85-year-old man dead and an 84-year-old woman lying unconscious on the floor, Orangetown police said Monday.

A burner on the kitchen stove was found left on, but not lit, police said.

The man, found sitting in a chair, was pronounced dead by the South Orangetown Ambulance Corps inside the apartment at 2 Blue Hill Commons, Sgt. James Sullivan said in a news release.

The ambulance corps took the woman to Nyack Hospital, police said. Neither victim's identity was released Monday. An update on the woman's condition was not available.

"We're all very lucky their daughter came and found them," said downstairs neighbor Judy Basso. "This whole building could have been a disaster. Something like this could have been worse."

Basso, who has lived in the building for three years, said she never smelled gas, but thought the elderly couple may have left the stove on. She said the woman was sickly and was cared for by her husband.

"He was a very nice man. He was very active for his age. This is a total shock," she said.

Police went to the complex at 10:15 a.m. Monday after people reported smelling gas, Sullivan said. The Rockland County Sheriff's Bureau of Criminal Investigation also responded to assist with determining the cause of death. The Rockland Medical Examiner's Office removed the body for an autopsy. Rockland Paramedic Services also was on scene.

Police said they are still investigating whether the gas stove was left on accidentally or on purpose.

"They have not classified it as intentional or accidental at this point," Orangetown Police Chief Kevin Nulty said. "They are looking at all aspects."

Mike Donovan, a spokesman for Orange and Rockland Utilities, Inc., said the utility responded to reports of a gas leak and that residents were evacuated and kept out of their homes until 12:25 p.m.

Donovan said O&R crews checked the building, including the heating system, but found no problems. When they got access to the apartment at 2 p.m., they were told the burner had been on, but not lit.

"Everything we were able to examine, we found was in good shape," Donovan said. "It looks like an accident. The burner was on, but there was no flame."

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