3 Hospitalized for Carbon Monoxide Poisoning After Using Power Washer Indoors: Cops

Three men were sent to the hospital and a business building in Morris Township was evacuated after carbon monoxide caused sickness to dozens Thursday morning, Morris Township police said.

Police responded to a report of a hazardous materials incident at 65 Columbia Turnpike at 11 a.m. for initial reports of two men passing out from the use of cleaning chemicals, police said.

When police arrived they found one man unresponsive while two others were having difficulty breathing, police said. All three were transported to Morristown Medical Center for further evaluation and none sustained life-threatening injuries, police said.

The investigation is still active, but police believe the men, contractors hired to clean a bathroom inside the Twin Oaks Tennis Center, were using a gas-powered power washer in a closed bathroom and were overcome by the carbon monoxide produced by the machine.

Others inside the building were evaluated at a triage center established outside the building, but no other injuries were reported.

Editor’s note: An earlier version of this article inaccurately stated the incident occurred inside the Twin Oaks Ice Hockey Rink.