SOUTH BEND — Police have ruled a 19-year-old man’s death accidental after he was found inside his home Tuesday afternoon on the northeast side.

The man, identified as Brian K. Coleman, died from asphyxia, St. Joseph County Deputy Coroner Chuck Hurley said. He was likely “huffing” some sort of videotape cleaner from an aerosol can, Hurley said.

A relative made the discovery just before 3 p.m. in the 1100 block of North Foster Street. Coleman had duct tape over his mouth, which often is used while huffing, Hurley said.

Foul play has been ruled out as a possible cause of death, said Capt. Phil Trent, a South Bend police spokesman.

Hurley said teenagers who do these kind of drugs often poke a small hole in the tape and huff in the spray through a straw, which causes the person to lose oxygen. Very rarely does it cause death, but Hurley stressed how dangerous it is.

“Kids do it to get high, but once you lose control, you just take it too far and go unconscious,” he said. “Usually, if somebody is doing it, they have a cluster of friends doing it, too. Hopefully, this will teach them of the dangers.”

Hurley said he has seen three or four cases of huffing-related deaths in the past couple years, although many are associated with paint.

Meanwhile, former Gov. Joe Kernan arrived at the home with one of Coleman’s uncles, Terry Coleman, who works for Kernan at Coveleski Stadium, police said. Kernan was talking with police and went inside the house.

Brian Coleman also is the nephew of County Treasurer Sean Coleman.