A 24-year-old California man was electrocuted and died while hanging Christmas lights on Thursday, according to officials.
Antonio Pascual was hanging Christmas lights the morning of Nov. 21 on a roof in Escondido, the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office said in a news release.
He was hanging the lights near a high voltage powerline and when he threw the lights over the powerline, he was electrocuted. Someone called 911 and when paramedics arrived, they found Pascual “hanging upside down from a tree,” the medical examiner’s office said.
Paramedics tried to save him and took him to the nearest hospital, but he was pronounced dead at the hospital. The medical examiner ruled his death a high voltage electrocution, according to the news release.
Man was trapped for an hour, loved ones say
According to Juan Pascual, who started a GoFundMe fundraiser in honor of the 24-year-old, Antonio Pascual was trapped in the tree for an hour because first responders had to wait for the power company to turn off the power. By then, it was too late to save him, the fundraiser read.
Local officials did not immediately respond to USA TODAY’s requests for comment Tuesday afternoon, but San Diego Gas & Electric or SDG&E said in a statement Tuesday afternoon that the company is saddened by what happened to the man.
24-year-old man dies after being electrocuted while hanging up Christmas lights
