Suit: Man 'cooked alive' by building's faulty heating system

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) - An 82-year-old man was "cooked alive" by a faulty heating system in the senior apartment building where he lived, a family said in a lawsuit against the building's management company.

The lawsuit said Neal DiNapoli's body temperature was about 108 degrees and he was motionless when he was found by his grandson in his Bloomfield home in December. DiNapoli died, and his 77-year-old wife was left seriously and permanently injured, NJ.com reported (http://bit.ly/23uMsKQ).

A defective heating system couldn't determine it was in hot water mode when the couple attempted to cool their apartment on a warm day, according to the lawsuit, which was filed April 21.

"The heating/cooling system in this senior citizen complex is recklessly configured putting this low income, senior citizen population at great risk," Scura, Wigfield, Heyer & Stevens, LLP, the law firm representing the DiNapolis, said in a statement. "In order to cut corners on cost, the owner and management company are responsible for the death of Neal DiNapoli Sr. and near death of his wife."

A representative from the management company, R.P. Marzulli Co., Inc., said it doesn't comment on pending litigation.

The family's attorneys said they hope the lawsuit will help protect other senior citizens and address the "great harms and losses" suffered by the DiNapoli family.

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This story has been corrected to show that Neal DiNapoli and his wife were found by their grandson, not their son.

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Information from: NJ Advance Media.