Sandy police say they are shocked and disappointed that a man who died inside his car in front of a busy gas station went unnoticed for 10 hours.
Surveillance video from the Tesoro station, 151 W. 10600 South, showed the 28-year-old man pulled up at a gas pump at 2:16 p.m. Saturday. It wasn't until 12:20 a.m. Sunday, however, that a store clerk called police to report a problem.
Police found the man slumped over in the driver's seat. All the windows were rolled up and the doors locked. Investigators hope an autopsy from the Utah state medical examiner will help determine when the man died. But officers said the man had been left unattended for so long that rigor mortis had already set in.
"It's shocking. How can this happen with so many people out and about every day?" Sandy Police Sgt. Victor Quezada said Wednesday.
Investigators said there was no sign of foul play and believe the man died as a result of suicide.
Nevertheless, police are disturbed that someone was parked for hours in plain view at a gas station right off a major thoroughfare, but no one called to report someone might need help until 10 hours later.
"In today's society, everyone becomes so busy and tied up with other situations. ... We need to take a little more time to be aware of our surroundings. It could benefit not just yourself, but others. Everyone should try to be a good citizen and report suspicious activity," Quezada said.
"It's a little disappointing," he added.
A spokeswoman at Tesoro's corporate office in San Antonio, Texas, said Wednesday that the company was aware of the incident and was launching an internal investigation.
"Right now, we want to gather all the information before we make any further comments. We want to make sure we talk to the appropriate people," said company spokeswoman Sarah Simpson.
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