A State College man died on Tuesday night after being electrocuted near a utility pole following a severe storm that damaged power lines, according to borough police.
The 22-year-old was attempting to put out a mulch fire when he “encountered an active electric current” at about 7:15 p.m. on the 1500 block of University Drive, police wrote in a media release.
He was pronounced dead at the scene, and his name is being withheld pending notification of relatives, according to police.
He is the second State College resident to die by electrocution after a severe storm in the last six weeks. Gelin Tong, 23, was killed when he accidentally stepped on a downed power line on March 16 in Ferguson Township.
“This tragic incident occurred during a severe weather event hitting the State College area resulting in damage to many trees and utility lines,” police wrote on Tuesday night. “Please do not approach downed lines or areas where lines may be compromised. Notify 911 or utility companies of such circumstances and avoid those areas.”
As of 9:45 p.m. on Tuesday, 36,266 Centre County homes and businesses — more than half of West Penn Power customers in the county — were without power. That included 8,878 in State College, nearly three-quarters of West Penn customers in the borough.
In Centre County, West Penn Power customers should report power outages online, by calling 1-888-544-4877 or by texting OUT to 544487. While power outages should be reported only to your electric company, downed power lines should be reported by calling 911, according to West Penn Power. If you encounter a downed power line, do not touch it and stay at least 30 feet away.
“Public works crews are working to remove debris, and First Energy is working to restore power to the many customers affected by the mass outages in the Centre County,” State College police wrote.
