Man found dead in car at school in Takoma Park

Dunbar Henri, principal of the private Seventh-day Adventist school at 8120 Carroll Ave. in Takoma Park, said the man was sleeping in a donated vehicle the school planned to auction for fundraising.

‘‘It was a homeless man,” he said. ‘‘ ... Sometimes we have homeless people break into cars and sleep in them.”

Henri said a school employee reported the incident around 8:30 a.m. ‘‘Two of his [the dead man’s] friends were leaving the property early in the morning and one of the workers here saw them,” he said.

Robinson said medical examiners had responded to the scene. Henri said the car and body had been taken away around noon.

‘‘Many times we preserve our investigation for quite a few hours to secure our investigation,” Robinson said.

Henri said the school accepts donated cars, which a company then auctions to benefit the school.