A mentally disabled man who lived in an East Village group home died after being left alone in a parked van.
Police found Eason Alonzio, 48, dead in the back seat of the van after receiving a report at about 3:30 p.m. about an unconscious man in the car parked on an East Harlem street.
Emergency personnel responded quickly to the scene, but the man could not be revived.
The driver had parked the van at about 9 a.m. outside the AHRC Fisher Center on Lexington Avenue, according to published reports. Hours later, the van was moved to the front of the building to pick up passengers, and Alonzio was found.
The Office for People With Developmental Disabilities said in a statement Wednesday that it is "unacceptable that this man's absence went unnoticed for several hours."
The investigation is ongoing and the medical examiner will determine the cause of death.
The Fisher Center, a facility to assist people with developmental disabilities, said in a statement Wednesday that the incident is being investigated internally as well as by police and regulatory agencies.
"We are gathering the details of what transpired and have begun the process of thorough self-examination in this truly tragic incident in order to avoid incidents of this nature again," the center said.
