What to know about carbon monoxide risks after student’s death
A Rhode Island college student died after carbon monoxide poisoning in his car during a winter snowstorm that knocked out power in the area, Newport police said. Police said 21-year-old Joseph Boutros was found unresponsive in the vehicle on Monday in Newport, where he was parked outside a Salve Regina University building. Investigators said the vehicle’s exhaust pipe was obstructed by snow, and they described the death as accidental.
Newport Police Captain Joseph Carroll said Boutros had told a fellow student that he was using his car to charge his phone during the outage. Police said first responders found him unresponsive in the car, and the department pointed to blocked exhaust as the key factor that led to carbon monoxide buildup.
Salve Regina University’s football team said it was “heartbroken” about Boutros’ death and announced his death in an Instagram post, according to the report.
The incident has highlighted a hazard that can be especially dangerous during winter storms and power failures: carbon monoxide exposure. The gas is often described as the “silent killer” because it is odorless, colorless and tasteless, and it can reduce the body’s ability to carry oxygen to organs when exposure continues.
The AP report said prolonged carbon monoxide exposure can begin with symptoms such as throbbing headaches, disorientation and drowsiness. It can progress to unconsciousness, convulsions and eventually death, particularly when people do not realize they are being exposed.
Police and safety guidance also focus on how carbon monoxide can build up when ventilation is blocked. The report said the winter risk is higher, citing the Centers for Disease Control, and that people are more likely to use furnaces and heaters in cold weather. It also cited malfunctions and blocked ventilation—such as snowfall covering an exhaust pipe or vent—as potential causes of dangerous accumulation.
The report said carbon monoxide can become dangerous when heating or combustion sources operate without proper airflow, including scenarios such as running a car in a closed garage, bringing grills indoors or using gas stoves for personal heat. It pointed to the kind of situation that led to Boutros’ death—when people spend long periods in vehicles without realizing an exhaust pipe is obstructed.
It also provided historical examples of snowbound car dangers, including a 1978 storm that dropped roughly two feet of snow over about 30 hours across New England. The report said the storm trapped about 3,000 cars and 500 trucks along eight miles of one highway in Massachusetts and that 14 people died of carbon monoxide poisoning while sitting in their vehicles.
More recently, the AP report said more than three dozen people died in a historic 2022 storm, and at least one person died after snow covered furnaces and sent carbon monoxide into homes in New York. The takeaway, the report said, is that the risk is not limited to cars alone.
For people considering vehicle idling during an emergency, the AP report cited Consumer Reports’ senior director of auto testing, Jake Fisher. Fisher said engines emit “very dangerous chemicals and gases,” and that if a car is not running correctly—such as if it sounds wrong—drivers should have it checked out.
Fisher told the report that idling for a long time is usually safe, but he said drivers should watch for warning signs and have vehicles inspected annually. He also said vehicles are more prone to exhaust leaks after a crash and should be inspected before being put back on the road.