A 41-year-old man has died after what appears to be an attempted theft of copper wire at an electrical substation in New Brunswick.
The deceased was fatally injured during a break-in at a NB Power substation in the town of Bathurst early Saturday morning.
Bathurst Police officers responding to a power outage at around 5:45 a.m. arrived at the substation on Ste. Anne Street and found the man unresponsive with “serious injuries.”
First responders then attempted to resuscitate the man, according to Const. Ryan Aube of Bathurst Police.
“The 41-year-old male was later transported to Chaleur Regional Hospital by ambulance where he was pronounced deceased,” he said.
“The Bathurst police force criminal investigation division, along with the forensic identification section, are currently investigating the matter.”
NB Power confirmed to CTV Atlantic that an individual broke into the substation but did not provide details on what the man was doing.
“All I can confirm is that an individual broke into NB Power's Bathurst West Substation earlier today,” said NB Power spokeswoman Sheila Lagace Saturday.
As police work to notify next-of-kin, the identity of the deceased has not yet been released.
Lagace added that theft of copper wire is a concern for the utility company and it has been trying to address copper thefts by using less expensive metals where possible.
In a statement, NB Power said it was taking the incident very seriously and that tampering with any of its equipment, including substations or power lines, can be deadly, and it is asking the public to be aware of the consequences.
