San Diego Police found a body inside a car filled with chemical fumes Thursday in Sorrento Valley and immediately called for hazardous material experts.
The sedan parked near the corner of Miramar Road and Production Avenue had printed signs saying “Keep Away” and “Call Hazmat,” according to police officials.
When police officers first arrived at 4 a.m., they did not intervene and instead, called for the San Diego Fire-Rescue HazMat team and firefighters.
Nearby stores including a Starbucks was cordoned off from passersby while officials waited for the fumes to dissipate.
Some local reports said it took nearly three hours to clear the scene.
The person inside the vehicle died of what officials were calling an apparent chemical suicide.
Officials later confirmed the chemical used was a byproduct of hydrogen sulfide. When a human is exposed to a high-level of the gas, they can suffer significant shortness of breath and ultimately death.
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The U-T San Diego reports that use of chemicals in suicide is rare in San Diego County, citing just five other incidents in the last four years.
