Dead man, bottles of hydrochloric acid found in car in Jacksonville neighborhood

Police found bottles of hydrochloric acid next to a car with a dead man inside in Jacksonville on Saturday.

Police said a note that read “Danger, stay back. Hazmat needed” was taped to the car, which was found near 4238 Timuquana Road.

Blocks of Timuquana Road were taped off while hazmat and bomb squad crews investigated.

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Neighbors were warned to stay inside their homes and those returning to the area were kept far away from the scene.

“It just kind of dragged on and on. I’ve been locked out of my house for over four hours, five hours now," Kenneth Johnstone told Action News Jax.

Johnstone said he'd never seen the car in the neighborhood.

“The car was all the way off the street. I know the car doesn’t belong to the house it was at,” he said.

Investigators said a strong chemical scent was pouring from the vehicle.

Hazmat pulled several buckets and bottles from the car.

Police said the incident is being investigated as an apparent suicide.

”It’s just an off-the-beaten path subdivision," Chris Parson said. "It’s been here for a long time and we like our peace and quiet. This is kind of unusual for us.”

Police said they are still piecing together what happened and authorities are in the beginning stages of their investigation.

Cox Media Group