In Flushing, Queens on the morning of January 31st, a man and a dog were found dead inside a mobile veterinary clinic, with another elderly man found unconscious outside the vehicle. The unconscious man was later transported to the hospital for treatment, and initial suspicions pointed towards a blocked exhaust pipe of the vehicle’s generator due to snow accumulation, leading to a buildup of carbon monoxide that was not properly ventilated.
According to authorities, the incident occurred around 9:30 a.m. at 157-18 65th Avenue in Flushing. Upon arrival, officers discovered a 57-year-old man and a dog inside the mobile veterinary vehicle showing no signs of life, and a 73-year-old man unconscious outside the vehicle.
The mobile veterinary clinic had a generator outside the vehicle. Although the exact cause of death is pending confirmation from the medical examiner, if the generator exhaust pipe was blocked by snow, inadequate ventilation could have generated lethal levels of carbon monoxide.
The deceased was identified as veterinarian Ashraf Hussein, who worked at Aadobe Animal Hospital. The hospital posted on Facebook stating that snow blockage in the vehicle’s exhaust system resulted in fatal consequences, and local authorities along with emergency personnel are continuing the investigation.
Neighbors confirmed that the survivor is Garo Alexanian, the founder of the mobile veterinary clinic, who was promptly taken to the hospital for treatment and is currently in stable condition.
A neighbor who wished to remain anonymous told English media that she found Alexanian lying on the ground when she went out in the morning. The weather was extremely cold with very low temperatures. Surveillance footage in the vicinity showed a man somewhat unsteady on his feet before falling to the ground. “He lay there for a while before being discovered, his body was very cold and stiff, it was really scary,” the neighbor said, noting that she immediately called 911 for help as Alexanian had briefly lost consciousness.
Another neighbor revealed that the previous evening, they had seen sparks and a brief outage of the generator, after which two men restarted it and were still caring for at least one dog.
Neighbors mentioned that the vehicle was often parked near Alexanian’s residence throughout the year, and although the noise from the generator and sounds of animals occasionally drew attention, everyone understood that it was to serve animals in need within the community.