NEW YORK, Sept. 16 (UPI) -- Police in New York said a vehicle was issued a parking ticket while a man was dead in the driver's seat.

Investigators said Nicholas Rappold, 21, was slumped in the front seat of his Jeep Cherokee Tuesday morning when a traffic officer placed a ticket on the vehicle for being illegally parked during street sweeping, the New York Daily News reported Thursday.


Police said the vehicle's windows were heavily tinted and the parking enforcement officer was unable to see inside. Rappold's body was discovered by a friend about an hour after the ticket was issued.

Police said the cause of death is being determined by the medical examiner's office, but investigators suspect a drug overdose. Family members said Rappold had a history of abusing pills.

The parking summons was voided by police.