14-year-old dies after huffing
GREEN BAY (AP) 3/14/02

A 14 year-old boy died after his uncle found him in his bedroom, "huffing" a can of air freshener, police say.

When the uncle apparently went to tell the victim's father, the boy jumped from a first floor window and collapsed after hitting the ground, authorities said.

"In the boy's room we found a can of air freshener and a towel we believe he had hanging over his head to focus the fumes from the air freshener," police Lt. Bill Galvin said Wednesday.

Police said Victor Tapia, who died Tuesday, may have Jumped from the window because of an adrenaline rush from inhaling the fumes.

"If you then get a surge of adrenaline for any reason, you can have a fatal heart rhythm," Dr. Ken Johnson, director of emergency medicine at St. Vincent Hospital, said.

On Wednesday, a play performed by students at Washington Middle School called "Save the Planet: It Starts in the Heart," was dedicated to Tapia's memory.