A Bohemia family is mourning the loss of their 21‑year‑old son, who died from carbon monoxide poisoning while away at college in Rhode Island during last week’s blizzard.

Joseph Anthony Boutros, a student at Salve Regina University, was found unconscious inside his car Monday in Newport, Rhode Island, according to police. Authorities say the vehicle was covered in snow and was not running at the time. Boutros had been sitting in the car charging his phone. He was taken to a hospital, where he later died.

His mother, Annemarie Tocco, described her son as someone who “truly loved something” with his whole heart, especially football, his friends and his family. She said he had called home multiple times the day of the snowstorm to check on his parents.

His father, Anthony Joseph Boutros, said his son was still learning life lessons and did not fully understand the dangers of running a car in a confined or poorly ventilated space.

The family says they are determined to share Joseph’s story and raise awareness about the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning in hopes of preventing similar tragedies.

Friends and relatives gathered outside the funeral home Tuesday night to pay their respects — a reflection, his parents say, of how deeply he was loved.

“Something so simple killed our son,” his mother said.

His father added that if awareness from their son’s death helps save others, “then he still lives.”