A vehicle left running in an attached garage is believed to be the cause of death of four elderly people on Friday in Queens, New York City.

Police said the carbon monoxide from the car poisoned an 80-year-old woman, an 83-year-old man, another 70-year-old woman and a 76-year-old man. The seniors in their 80s are a couple. Investigators believe the poisoning was accidental and not a crime or suicide.

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Carbon monoxide is the result of fuel burning. It is an odorless and colorless gas, which makes it a silent killer.

While police withheld their identity, Helga Harter, a long-time neighbor in Floral Park who has known the couple for four decades, named the pair as Jerry and Marie Hugel. The couple's failure to answer their phone aroused the suspicion of one of their five children who checked them.

The 70-year-old female victim, Gloria Greco, was a tenant of the Hugels, while the 76-year-old, Walter Von Thadden, was their family friend. Harter disclosed to Democratherald that the Hugels, who have been married for 60 years, are immigrants.

He is from Germany and she is from Austria. Harter said the couple were very active in the neighborhood's German association. They attended a gathering of a Bavarian dancing and cultural organization when Harter last saw them alive.

One of their sons, Robert Hugel, is a New York Police Department officer. The New York Times said he was the one who checked on his parent's home and discovered them dead.

Police found Jerry next to the running car, Marie in the basement kitchen, the tenant on the first floor and the family friend in the living room, also on the first floor.

The car, a Hyundai, was owned by Greco who probably turned it on with the automatic starter on her key chain and left it running through the night, according to Red Patel, a neighbor who overheard the information from investigators.

It was the third case of carbon monoxide poisoning in a week. On Monday, police found dead in Princess Anne, Maryland, a man and his seven children. The carbon monoxide came from a running generator because the house's electricity was cut off.

On Wednesday, authorities discovered a woman and her 7-year-old daughter poisoned in their East Orange, New Jersey, home. Similar to the Maryland incident, the power of the house was shut off by the utility company and the resident used a gas generator without proper ventilation.

TagsNew York City, Carbon Monoxide Poisoning