Police: Man Electrocuted By Live Wire In Detroit Alley
DETROIT (WWJ) - A man was electrocuted after apparently stepping on a live electrical line in an east side Detroit alley.
A nearby resident smelled something burning at around 8:30 a.m. Friday — on Dobel Street near Van Dyke and McNichols — found the victim and called 911 to report a person on fire. The male victim was not moving, according to reports, by that time.
Police said a wire was found wrapped around the man's body. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Detroit Fire Department originally reported that the man was attempting an illegal hookup, but has now concluded that the death was accidental.
"The theory now is that he was walking through the alley and either it was hanging down and he had contact with it or he stepped on it and somehow fell into it and the it wrapped around," said Pat McNulty, Chief of Detroit Fire Investigation. "That's the theory we're going with; but none of the theft theory is supported."
McNulty said the victim's body was left unrecognizable and officials are still working confirming his identity.
The alley reportedly is overgrown with weeds. An investigation is ongoing.
© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report
