The community of Salve Regina University is mourning the sudden and heartbreaking loss of Joseph Boutros, a 21-year-old junior who died from accidental carbon monoxide poisoning during a record-setting blizzard in Newport.

According to Newport police, Boutros was found unconscious around 7:20 p.m. Monday inside a vehicle parked along Bellevue Avenue. Authorities said he had been sitting in the running car while charging his cellphone. However, more than 34 inches of snow had fallen in just 24 hours — the highest snowfall total ever recorded in Newport — burying the vehicle and blocking its exhaust pipe. The obstruction caused deadly carbon monoxide gas to accumulate inside the car.

Newport Fire Rescue transported Boutros to Newport Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Police ruled the death accidental and issued a public warning, reminding drivers to always clear snow from exhaust pipes when idling vehicles in winter conditions to prevent toxic gas buildup.