An American formerly imprisoned in North Korea was found enveloped in flames in a California lot last Friday. An off-duty California Highway Patrol officer stopped to help Aijalon Mahli Gomes, 38, but Gomes was ultimately pronounced dead at the scene, CNN reports.

San Diego police are investigating the death, which police say initially suggests an accident or suicide, but the Medical Examiner’s Office will make the final call.

Originally from Boston, Gomes was an American teacher detained in North Korea on Jan. 25, 2010 when he illegally crossed the border from China. At the time of his arrest, he had been living and teaching in South Korea.

After his arrest, Gomes was sentenced to eight years of hard labor and a fine of about $600,000 for an unidentified “hostile act,” according to CNN. He was ultimately freed that August upon the intervention of President Jimmy Carter.

Gomes’ motives for entering North Korea remain unclear. However, he was a devout Christian who regularly attended the Every Nation Church in Seoul, CNN says. Just one month before Gomes ventured in North Korea, an American named Robert Park, who attended the same church, also walked into North Korea.

Park was detained for six weeks before his release, according to NPR.

Following his release from North Korea, Gomes published an autobiography in 2015, Violence and Humanity, which he wrote while recovering “from injuries sustained while being incarcerated in North Korea,” according to the author’s bio.

[CNN]

Get The Brief. Sign up to receive the top stories you need to know right now. Please enter a valid email address. Sign Up Now Check the box if you do not wish to receive promotional offers via email from TIME. You can unsubscribe at any time. By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Thank you! For your security, we've sent a confirmation email to the address you entered. Click the link to confirm your subscription and begin receiving our newsletters. If you don't get the confirmation within 10 minutes, please check your spam folder.

Contact us at letters@time.com.