Three disabled men died from carbon monoxide poisoning in Utah after they were left in a running vehicle for at least an hour, police said.
A transportation employee has been accused of manslaughter following the deaths of Colton Moser, 25, Mosa’ati Moa, 22, and Tim Jones, 39, on February 6, West Valley City Police in Utah said.
It was not immediately clear where the men were being transported to, but they were residents of three different assisted living facilities, police said.
In a statement on X, police said that 25-year-old Isaiah Pulu, a driver working for a business that transports disabled people, has been booked on 3 counts of manslaughter and 2 counts of aggravated abuse of a vulnerable adult.
Officers were called Friday to an apartment complex —the driver’s home — to reports of three people who were not conscious or breathing. “Three adult men were found deceased after being left in a running vehicle,” police said.
They had been left in the van in a garage for at least an hour, according to police.
“Around lunchtime, the driver had stopped at his own home and went inside, leaving the three men inside the running vehicle,” the statement continued. “The driver reports returning to the vehicle 1-2 hours later, finding all three men deceased.”
According to court documents reviewed by ABC4, Pulu allegedly “ate lunch and watched television” while the men waited in the van for up to three-and-a-half hours.
“It’s such a tragedy,” said Sam Johnson, director of communications for West Valley City, who added that details were limited while the investigation is in the early stages.
Pulu is currently booked in the Salt Lake County Jail.
