Police say a second man, 73, was found outside the van and taken to a hospital in stable condition.
NEW YORK CITY, NY — A 57-year-old man and a dog were found dead inside a mobile veterinary van on 65th Avenue near Parsons Boulevard on Sunday morning, New York City police said. Officers responding around 9:25 a.m. also found a 73-year-old man outside the vehicle who was taken to a hospital and was in stable condition.
Authorities are investigating whether exhaust or generator fumes inside the parked van contributed to the deaths. The medical examiner will determine the official cause, and police said there were no immediate signs of foul play. The van, associated with a low-cost mobile veterinary service, had been operating in the neighborhood and was found after a 911 call reported an unconscious person. The discovery came a day after snow and bitter wind moved through the city, raising questions about ventilation and equipment placement around the vehicle as detectives review video, interview witnesses and examine the van’s power sources.
Police said they arrived just before 9:30 a.m. and found the older man on the ground near the van. A neighbor said she called 911 after seeing him stumble and fall in the cold. Inside the vehicle, officers discovered the 57-year-old man and a small dog unresponsive. Emergency medical workers pronounced both dead at the scene. The older man, identified by neighbors as the owner of the mobile clinic, was transported to NewYork-Presbyterian Queens, according to police. “He was laying here for quite some time before he was noticed,” a nearby resident said, describing the scene as frigid and quiet on the residential block. A second dog was later accounted for and is alive, according to people familiar with the operation of the van.
Investigators are reviewing whether snow piled against the vehicle or the placement of a generator outside the van affected ventilation. Photos taken after the incident show a generator positioned near the front of the van and snow banked along the driver’s side. Detectives are also gathering statements about what work was being done inside. A relative of the surviving man said the 57-year-old had been performing a surgical procedure on a dog when fumes may have accumulated. Police have not confirmed those details. The NYPD said the identities of the deceased man and the dog are being withheld pending notification of family, and the exact source of any carbon monoxide or other exhaust remains under review by investigators and the medical examiner.
The mobile clinic, known locally for offering low-cost services, frequently parked on 65th Avenue near Parsons Boulevard in the Flushing-Kew Gardens Hills area, neighbors said. Residents described the service as popular with pet owners who lined up for spay-neuter operations and urgent care. The van, an older Ford model with out-of-state plates, often used a generator to power lights and equipment, according to people who live on the block. Sunday’s incident unfolded after a recent snowfall left drifts along curbs and narrowed side streets. While the cause has not been declared, records from similar winter incidents show that small, enclosed spaces can fill quickly with exhaust when vents are blocked, a risk investigators are weighing as they test components from the van.
Police said the investigation is ongoing and described the deaths as “not suspicious at this time” pending autopsy findings. Detectives from the 107th Precinct and the department’s Crime Scene Unit documented the interior of the van, collected the generator and examined the exhaust system for obstructions. The medical examiner will release the cause and manner of death after lab testing, which can include carboxyhemoglobin levels and mechanical inspections of the power equipment. Officials did not announce any violations or summonses on Sunday. If mechanical or code issues are identified, the case could trigger inspections by city agencies that oversee mobile health clinics and fuel storage. No arrests have been made.
Neighbors and customers who gathered near the taped-off van described the surviving man as a fixture in the community. “He has a history of helping people out,” said Martha Rios, who lives nearby and has brought pets to the clinic. Another resident, who asked not to be named, said she found the older man conscious but disoriented: “He said he was locked in there for four hours.” Video from a nearby camera shows a man stagger and fall to the sidewalk before help reached him, residents said. A pet owner who arrived with a cat for surgery said she left in tears after learning what happened, calling the staff “affordable and kind.”
As of Monday, police had not released the names of the deceased man or the dog, and the older man remained hospitalized in stable condition. Investigators planned to review additional footage from homes along 65th Avenue and awaited the medical examiner’s findings expected later this week. The van was towed for further examination as detectives traced recent service calls and interviewed employees familiar with its equipment.
Author note: Last updated February 2, 2026.