2 Parade-Goers Suffocate in Van

Two parade-goers were found dead in a tightly sealed van parked in a lot next to the Rose Parade route, apparently victims of asphyxiation from the fumes of a charcoal cooker they had been using to keep warm, Pasadena police said today.

The bodies of Teresa Marie Bruening, 21, of Long Beach and a 37-year-old Paramount man were found Wednesday afternoon by employees of a carpet store on Colorado Boulevard at Wilson Avenue who became curious about a van parked in their lot all day, Sgt. Bertram Whittaker said. The man’s name was not released pending notification of his relatives. There was no evidence of foul play, Whittaker said, and an autopsy will be performed to determine the cause and time of death.