By Richard Robbins
The Tribune-Review
GREENSBURG, Pa. — A Greensburg man found dead in a burning vehicle in the Wal-Mart parking lot in Unity Township early Saturday died of injuries resulting from the fire, said Dr. Cyril H. Wecht, a Pittsburgh forensic pathologist who performed an autopsy on the body.
“At this time, there doesn’t appear to be anything of a suspicious nature” in the death, Wecht said. State police identified the victim as 27-year-old Nicholas Gillespie of Greensburg.
His body was found by firefighters who were called to a report of a car fire at 5 a.m.
Wecht said his “preliminary finding” was subject to review by state police and Westmoreland County Coroner Kenneth Bacha. Members of that office could not be contacted yesterday and no information was posted on its Facebook page, Twitter account or website by early evening.
State police in Greensburg said in a release that the investigation was “still ongoing.”
Whitney-Hostetter fire Chief Gerry McCracken said after arriving at the parking lot at 5:08 a.m., he was alerted by a witness to the possibility that someone was inside the burning sport utility vehicle .
He said he smashed in the vehicle’s side windows and spotted the victim, who was already dead.
“I was surprised,” said McCracken. “Obviously, it’s not a normal thing to see.”
He declined to specify where in the vehicle the body was located.
He referred all questions to state police.The trooper in charge of the investigation was not available for comment.
A vehicle parked in front of the SUV was damaged in the blaze, McCracken said.
McCracken said the SUV was parked near the entrance of the store.
The unidentified witness reported that the vehicle had been running and he thought “someone was in the car,” McCracken said.
“Based on the autopsy, it would appear the individual died as a result of the fire,” Wecht said.
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