By Marlene Naanes
The Herald News
PATERSON, N.J. — A man and a woman died from smoke inhalation early Thursday when their makeshift cardboard home in a wooded area off Route 80 in Paterson went up in flames, police said.
Investigators ruled the deaths accidental. Rescuers made the grisly discovery after putting out the small fire near the ramp from westbound Route 80 to Route 19, finding the two bodies when they extinguished the flames, state police said.
“It’s likely that carbon monoxide knocked them out before they could flee,” said state police Sgt. Brian Polite.
Police will not release the names of the two victims until they are positively identified.
A passer-by called 911 to report a small brush fire about 2:30 a.m. Thursday. City firefighters arrived and found a makeshift cardboard house ablaze, Polite said.
After they extinguished the flames, firefighters and city police officers sifted through the remnants of the cardboard house and found the burned bodies of a man and woman who appeared to be homeless, said state police spokesman Sgt. Stephen Jones.
“They had a lot of their personal belongings there, so it seems like they were living in the cardboard structure,” Polite said.
Investigators found the couple’s personal belongings, including cooking utensils, part of a grill and thermal cups used to keep food warm in the structure, Polite said. Police believe the fire began from the cooking equipment found inside.
State police investigators closed the ramp until they ruled out foul play. The medical examiner’s office removed the bodies and performed an autopsy Thursday.
Police were interviewing another homeless man who lives in the area who provided possible names for the couple.
Thursday’s discovery marked the second time in a week that police investigated an outdoor death. City police think they have identified a man found dead in a Wrigley Park portable toilet during the weekend. His identity has been withheld until family is notified.
Police discovered the man’s body after they were called to the park, known to locals as “Montgomery Park,” at Mercer and Montgomery streets around 1 p.m. Sunday.
The man, whose body appeared to be “weather-beaten,” was clad in an Army jacket, police said.
The man is believed to have frequented the area where his body was found in the city’s 4th Ward, police said.
The cause of death won’t be determined until an autopsy, including toxicology tests, is performed, police said.
The portable toilet is one of two in the park, a popular recreation site for local youths who use the basketball court.
Police distributed fliers on Tuesday that described the man as an African-American in his late 50s, about 6 feet tall and 175 pounds, with brown eyes and black-and-gray hair.
Anyone who might know the man may call Detective Robert Pleasant or Detective Jack DeSalvo at 973-321-1120.
Copyright 2011 North Jersey Media Group Inc
All Rights Reserved