Officials say Bruce Madiar, 62, collapsed on the front stoop of his home Monday night as he was using repellant on a beehive lodged under the overhang. The Roselle Fire Department, assisted by Itasca paramedics, were called and found him unconscious, but breathing. The medical examiner's office is still working on an exact cause of death.
"From what I understand, they did some CPR and advanced life procedures with the paramedic, rendering care and drug therapy," Roselle Fire Chief Bob Tinucci said.
"I did see them bring Bruce out administering CPR and oxygen, so I knew it was something pretty serious," said Mike Weflan, neighbor.
Weflan was at home Monday evening when he says the large response of fire trucks and ambulances blocked off the street. Attempts to resuscitate Madiar were unsuccessful and he was taken to Alexian Brothers Medical Center in Elk Grove Village, where he was pronounced dead.
Weflan says he knew Madiar casually, but that he was a long time resident of the neighborhood.
"Bruce was a good neighbor. We helped each other shoveling snow and things like that," Weflan said.
Investigators are waiting to see if autopsy results will determine whether bee stings are the cause of Madiar's death. Roselle police say Madiar's wife did not think her husband was allergic to bee stings. Also, first responder reported that they did not see prominent bee stings on his body.
"According to our crews, there was no outward sign that he sustained multiple bee stings at that point," Itasca Fire Chief Jim Burke said.
An autopsy will be performed Wednesday to see if Madiar had any other problems with his health.
