Three Disabled Men Killed After Being Left in Running Van for Hours While Driver Ate Lunch

Three disabled men tragically died in Utah after police say they were left inside a running vehicle for hours, filling the enclosed space with deadly carbon monoxide.

West Valley City police say the men — Colton Moser, 25, Mosa’ati Moa, 22, and Tim Jones, 39 — were killed on February 6 while under the care of a transportation service for disabled individuals.

A driver for that service, 25-year-old Isaiah Pulu, has now been arrested and charged with three counts of manslaughter and two counts of aggravated abuse of a vulnerable adult, according to a statement from the West Valley City Police Department.

Officers were called Friday to an apartment complex that police say was the driver’s residence after reports of three people who were unresponsive and not breathing. Inside a van parked in the garage, officers found the three men dead.

Investigators believe the men were left inside the running vehicle in the garage for at least an hour — and possibly much longer.

Police say the driver stopped at his own home around lunchtime and went inside, leaving the men inside the van with the engine still running. When he returned one to two hours later, all three were dead.

Court documents paint an even more disturbing picture. According to records reviewed by ABC4, Pulu allegedly went inside his apartment, ate lunch, and watched television while the men remained trapped inside the vehicle for as long as three and a half hours.

Authorities have not said where the men were being transported to at the time. Police confirmed the victims were residents of three separate assisted living facilities.

“It’s such a tragedy,” said Sam Johnson, communications director for West Valley City, noting that the investigation is still in its early stages and details remain limited.

Pulu is currently being held at the Salt Lake County Jail.