An Etobicoke man is dead after being found without vital signs in the bitter cold in front of his home Sunday morning, his empty wheelchair sitting nearby.

Toronto Paramedic Services rushed the 29-year-old man to a local hospital shortly after he was discovered on his driveway just after 7 a.m. on Allanhurst Dr., near Royal York Dr. and Eglinton Ave. W.

Toronto police have identified the man as Mark Stroz. They say he went out with friends the night before and was last seen getting out of an “unknown cab” on Allanhurst between midnight and 7 a.m.

Stroz was then found by a passerby who saw him lying face-down on the ground; he was pronounced dead in hospital.

It is not immediately known how long Stroz had lain there in one of the coldest mornings of the year. The city had an extreme cold warning in effect and Environment Canada said wind chills reached between -35 C and -40 C.

The area was also hit with a power outage, with Toronto Hydro reporting that up to 4,000 homes were affected at 4:30 a.m. The utility firm said many of the affected homes had power restored only by noon.

Neighbour Steve Hurej speculated that his neighbour may have tried to get into his car to “stay warm because of the power outage.”

Hurej said he would often see Stroz taking his dog for a walk along the street, or coming and going from the house with his mother.

Friends told the Star Stroz, who could not walk under his own power, was an avid sledge hockey player and led an active life despite his disability.

Justin Xerri, who had known Stroz for more than a decade, told the Star Stroz had been in a wheelchair since they were acquainted, though he loved the outdoors and often went kayaking.

Stroz could drive and was at one point the captain of his sledge-hockey team, Xerri said, adding that the music lover often attended concerts.

“He’s very active and he’s very proud of it,” he said. “He’s very strong and I admired him for that.”

Senka Zahirovic, who knew Stroz through her fiancé, said Stroz was an aspiring entrepreneur working on improving accessibility for wheelchair users.

“He was really into philosophy,” she said. “He was a very intelligent man . . . he was very locally known in his community, especially with everybody else who was in a wheelchair.”

Stroz is listed as a forward on the eastern Toronto sledge-hockey team in the 2008 Ontario Paralympic Winter Championships, held in Collingwood.

Neighbours on the tree-lined residential street were stunned and saddened by the news.

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Fernando Vera lives across the street from the brick bungalow where the man was found; He said Stroz lived with his mother and was often assisted by a helper.

Toronto police called the case a “sudden death investigation” and looking to speak with any one who had contact with Stroz Saturday night. They are also looking for the “unknown cab driver” who transported him.

An autopsy has been ordered.