One dead, dozens made ill by carbon monoxide at New York mall

A Carbon monoxide leak at a mall in the US state of New York left one person dead and sickened more than two dozen people Saturday evening, police said.

One 55-year-old man died of cardiac arrest in an ambulance and 27 people were rushed to hospitals after being poisoned from the toxic gas at a mall in Huntington Station, on New York’s Long Island, the Suffolk County Police Department said.

At least three people taken to hospital remained hospitalized in stable condition while several others were treated and released, said Julie Robinson-Tingue, a spokeswoman for Huntington Hospital.

Most of the victims were employees of the Legal Sea Foods restaurant at the Walt Whitman Shops, but several police officers and ambulance employees were among those who fell ill, Suffolk police said.

The police identified the deceased man as Steven Nelson of Copiague, New York. Legal Sea Foods said he was the general manager of the restaurant.

Authorities believe the leak was limited to the basement of the Legal Sea Foods, but evacuated the restaurant and the nearby Panera Bread and Cheesecake Factory as a precaution.

Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas that is toxic to humans and animals, and it can be fatal at high concentrations, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.A Carbon monoxide leak at a mall in the US state of New York left one person dead and sickened more than two dozen people Saturday evening, police said.

One 55-year-old man died of cardiac arrest in an ambulance and 27 people were rushed to hospitals after being poisoned from the toxic gas at a mall in Huntington Station, on New York’s Long Island, the Suffolk County Police Department said.

At least three people taken to hospital remained hospitalized in stable condition while several others were treated and released, said Julie Robinson-Tingue, a spokeswoman for Huntington Hospital.

Most of the victims were employees of the Legal Sea Foods restaurant at the Walt Whitman Shops, but several police officers and ambulance employees were among those who fell ill, Suffolk police said.

The police identified the deceased man as Steven Nelson of Copiague, New York. Legal Sea Foods said he was the general manager of the restaurant.

Authorities believe the leak was limited to the basement of the Legal Sea Foods, but evacuated the restaurant and the nearby Panera Bread and Cheesecake Factory as a precaution.

Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas that is toxic to humans and animals, and it can be fatal at high concentrations, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.