North Carolina man dies and two friends are left 'violently sick' after being 'poisoned' by toxic cleaner left in the beer lines at local bar

What was supposed to be a laid-back night out with friends turned into a waking nightmare, as one North Carolina man died and two friends were hospitalized after drinking beer thought to contain poisonous chemicals.

Connor Sebastian, 31, of Winston-Salem, fell ill at Burke Street Pub shortly before his death. His drink was suspected to have been contaminated with beer line cleaner.

On November 9, a bartender called 911 around 8.20pm to report that a customer was 'violently vomiting' and 'would not get off the toilet.'

The caller added that two other customers were experiencing the same symptoms.

'All three of these people drank the exact same beer and immediately began vomiting. They said it was burning their throats and burning their mouths,' the caller said.

'On Tuesdays, people come in here. A contracted company comes in here to clean our beer lines out, and I think that they left the cleaner in one of the beer lines.'

Two of the customers had gone to the hospital, while one - later revealed to be Sebastian - was still there. During the call, he was awake and alert.

'He is sitting up. He is looking at me...He knows who I am. He is sitting here now,' the caller said.

Sebastian was taken to the hospital for treatment, but he later died.

The company responsible for cleaning the beer lines is Greensboro-based Caffey Distributing, as confirmed in a statement.

'We are investigating the matter and have no further comment at this time,' president Mark Bowman said.

The company offers a 'Fresh Tap' service to clean beer lines and 'strives to not only perfectly clean every component of the draft system, but to also deliver proper balance, blend, and flow rate to pour the perfect pint each and every time.' 

The website also notes that 'systems must be properly cleaned every 14 days with a cleaning solution referred to as caustic and 90 days with acid.'

While it is unclear which chemicals were used, sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide are two caustic compounds used alone or in conjunction to clean beer lines.

If swallowed, they may cause severe burns in the mouth, throat and stomach. Consumption can be fatal.

The owner of Burke Street Pub, Tiffany Howell, released a statement that read simply: 'Burke Street Pub extends its condolences to the family.' She declined to comment further.

It appears Sebastian died at the very bar he frequented most, as indicated by posts on social media.

'I used to look so forward to running into you at Burke,' one friend, Lisa Tovar, wrote on Facebook. 'It's been years since I've been. I'm so sorry this happened to you. It's not fair...you're going to be missed.'

Taylor Laydon, a family friend, revealed that Burke and his mother would often visit the pub before football games.

'You guys were my second family,' she wrote. 'From our younger days to now, you were my best friend and brother! So many amazing memories that I will cherish.'

Laydon fondly recalled playing video games with the man who felt like her sibling, writing: 'We were still 3-3 Connor, we never got to finish the last one to see who'd win!'

Brittany Smith, an old school friend, remembered Sebastian as someone who would 'drop everything to try and help someone that was in trouble.'

'I remember skipping school with you,' Smith wrote. 'I used to sneak out and meet up with y'all and listen to you play the guitar. You were so talented and you had a beautiful soul.'

Autopsy results for Sebastian are pending. However, the North Carolina Alcoholic Beverage Control System says it is not investigating the incident, as it is thought to have been an accident.