13-Year-Old Electrocuted At Southington Substation -- Courant.com
SOUTHINGTON -- Police are investigating the electrocution of a 13-year-old Tuesday at a utilities substation on Johnson Avenue near the Meriden line.
The body of Junus Cecunjanin was found by a Connecticut Light & Power worker at 5:05 p.m. on the ground inside the fenced-off substation. The worker, who lives on Johnson Avenue, had lost power at his home and notified a supervisor.
Cecunjanin, a freshman at Crosby High School in Waterbury, had spent the day helping his parents clean and paint a home at 250 Gwen Road, which his family recently purchased.
His father, Dzevat Cecunjanin, had been searching for the teenager when emergency personnel arrived at the substation. He said his son didn't know the area.
"I'm looking for my son," a shaken Cecunjanin said. "I ask the police. I cannot find my son for the past 10 minutes."
Power went out shortly after the electrocution.
CL&P officials cut electricity to the street, putting about 1,800 customers in the dark. Meriden and Southington police cordoned off about a half-mile of Johnson Avenue to investigate the accident. Power was later restored.
"We are investigating why the person is in there and how the person got in there," CL&P spokesman Mitch Gross said. "We're trying to coordinate everything with police. Our hearts and thoughts go out to the family. You train, but you pray you never have to react to something like this."
As police searched the scene, Cecunjanin and a woman, identified as the boy's mother, paced nervously along Johnson Avenue, to the substation and back.
The couple's two other sons stood quietly by a tree in the front yard.
Neighbors wearing pajamas and sweaters came out of darkened homes to observe the activity on the typically quiet street.
Susan Mullany, of 161 Gwen Road, was walking to Gwen Road and Johnson Avenue at about 7 p.m. when she heard the anguished scream of "Oh, my God!" coming from the Cecunjanin's new home. The sounds of sobbing followed. Police officers stood guard in the driveway.
"I just feel so bad," Mullany said. "It made me feel so hopeless; you want to go to help them."
The substation is less than a quarter-mile from the Cecunjanin's home. It has a gate to block vehicles and a 20-foot-high fence surrounding high-voltage electrical equipment. There are also "danger" signs warning against trespassing.
Police and CL&P are investigating possible weaknesses in the fenced area and whether the teen might have used something to touch the wires.
Gross said the locks on the fences were in place and that the gates were secure.
"We have to look at a lot of information at the scene," said Sgt. Lowell DePalma, spokesman for the Southington Police Department.
Dan Manchester, who lives at 654 Johnson Ave., said he and his wife heard a loud hum, but thought it was a squirrel on a line. They knew it was more serious when emergency crews arrived.
The Cecunjanins live at Meriden-Waterbury Road and were preparing the house for their move.
At about 7:30 p.m., an ambulance pulled up in front of 250 Gwen Road and paramedics helped Cecunjanin's mother onto a stretcher.
"They had just moved in," said Jennifer Wallberg, of 600 Johnson Ave. "We never would have thought anything like this would happen."
SOUTHINGTON -- Police are investigating the electrocution of a 13-year-old Tuesday at a utilities substation on Johnson Avenue near the Meriden line.
The body of Junus Cecunjanin was found by a Connecticut Light & Power worker at 5:05 p.m. on the ground inside the fenced-off substation. The worker, who lives on Johnson Avenue, had lost power at his home and notified a supervisor.
Cecunjanin, a freshman at Crosby High School in Waterbury, had spent the day helping his parents clean and paint a home at 250 Gwen Road, which his family recently purchased.
His father, Dzevat Cecunjanin, had been searching for the teenager when emergency personnel arrived at the substation. He said his son didn't know the area.
"I'm looking for my son," a shaken Cecunjanin said. "I ask the police. I cannot find my son for the past 10 minutes."
Power went out shortly after the electrocution.
CL&P officials cut electricity to the street, putting about 1,800 customers in the dark. Meriden and Southington police cordoned off about a half-mile of Johnson Avenue to investigate the accident. Power was later restored.
"We are investigating why the person is in there and how the person got in there," CL&P spokesman Mitch Gross said. "We're trying to coordinate everything with police. Our hearts and thoughts go out to the family. You train, but you pray you never have to react to something like this."
As police searched the scene, Cecunjanin and a woman, identified as the boy's mother, paced nervously along Johnson Avenue, to the substation and back.
The couple's two other sons stood quietly by a tree in the front yard.
Neighbors wearing pajamas and sweaters came out of darkened homes to observe the activity on the typically quiet street.
Susan Mullany, of 161 Gwen Road, was walking to Gwen Road and Johnson Avenue at about 7 p.m. when she heard the anguished scream of "Oh, my God!" coming from the Cecunjanin's new home. The sounds of sobbing followed. Police officers stood guard in the driveway.
"I just feel so bad," Mullany said. "It made me feel so hopeless; you want to go to help them."
The substation is less than a quarter-mile from the Cecunjanin's home. It has a gate to block vehicles and a 20-foot-high fence surrounding high-voltage electrical equipment. There are also "danger" signs warning against trespassing.
Police and CL&P are investigating possible weaknesses in the fenced area and whether the teen might have used something to touch the wires.
Gross said the locks on the fences were in place and that the gates were secure.
"We have to look at a lot of information at the scene," said Sgt. Lowell DePalma, spokesman for the Southington Police Department.
Dan Manchester, who lives at 654 Johnson Ave., said he and his wife heard a loud hum, but thought it was a squirrel on a line. They knew it was more serious when emergency crews arrived.
The Cecunjanins live at Meriden-Waterbury Road and were preparing the house for their move.
At about 7:30 p.m., an ambulance pulled up in front of 250 Gwen Road and paramedics helped Cecunjanin's mother onto a stretcher.
"They had just moved in," said Jennifer Wallberg, of 600 Johnson Ave. "We never would have thought anything like this would happen."
Investigation Into Teen's Electrocution Continues
Police Say Teen's Family Was Preparing For Move
POSTED: 5:06 pm EDT October 10, 2007
SOUTHINGTON, Conn. -- Officers remained at a utility substation where a teen died throughout the night Tuesday and day Wednesday, trying to reconstruct what happened.Junus Cecunjanin, 13, was found at about 5 p.m. Tuesday inside the Connecticut Light and Power substation on Johnson Avenue in Southington.Police said Wednesday that they believe that Cecunjanin scaled the substation's fence and then climbed onto equipment, coming into contact with the power line.Investigators said it doesn't appear that the substation was open or easily accessible.CL&P workers found the boy's body after one heard a bang before the power went out. About 1,800 Southington utility customers were left without power Tuesday night while the investigation was underway.
Police said Junus' family had recently purchased a home on Glen Road in Southington had had enrolled their children in school. The family was preparing to move to the town from Waterbury.The family was painting the home in preparation for move-in day at the time of the electrocution, according to police. Police said Junus told his family that he was going to play with friends before going to the substation. Investigators said they were unsure whether the friends were with him at the time of the accident.
Personally, this is a case of Darwinism. You jump the fence into a high-voltage power substation and get electrocuted. I'm personally glad he's out of the gene pool.
No comments:
Post a Comment