But not for the response of four young Seekonk residents, a local tragedy could have turned into something much worse last week. State Rep. Steve Howitt and Bristol County Sheriff Tom Hodgson honored the young locals on Wednesday at the Board of Selectmen meeting with citations.

The young men—Matthew Stanley, Correy Hammond, Branden Cordeiro and Andrew Sawyer—were riding bikes behind the old Showcase Cinemas on Fall River Avenue when they came across a sealed a vehicle containing a Rumford, R.I. man who had killed himself with the deadly homemade gas hydrogen sulfide. The young men contacted authorities, who arrived to neutralized the chemical compound, which did not harm any other person.

"For them taking that action really did prevent any kind of bigger problem than already existed," Hodgson said.

Howitt praised the young residents for their "brave acts and responsible reaction."