Man Allegedly Tries Stealing Copper Wire, Gets Electrocuted And Dies

A man died Wednesday after he was electrocuted while allegedly trying to steal copper wire from a vacant senior housing complex in Philadelphia.

The unidentified man broke allegedly into the Brith Sholom House in West Philadelphia’s Wynnefield Heights neighborhood, according to The Philadelphia Tribune. Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA) President and CEO Kelvin Jeremiah told the Tribune the man “had no business being there.”

Jeremiah said workers found the body in the basement near the building’s electrical switch gears. The man had allegedly been stripping copper wires when he was electrocuted.

“He was not a contractor. He was not permitted to be there,” Jeremiah told the Tribune. “We made sure that the property was sealed with vacant property systems in place all around the building, on the first floor and the second. We believe he trespassed on the property through a window on the third floor of the building.”

Police public affairs officer Miguel Torres confirmed the man was pronounced dead at 6:40 a.m., the Tribune reported.

More