Two Men Electrocuted While Trying to Steal From Power Station: Police

Two suspected thieves were killed when they were electrocuted as they tried to steal from a power substation during a "heist," according to police.

The pair's bodies were discovered when a transformer fire broke out at the site in Gainesville, Georgia, about 55 miles northeast of Atlanta, in the early hours of Monday morning.

Gainesville Police Department said that when emergency responders arrived at the substation around 3:00 a.m. to tackle the blaze, they found two men dead at the scene. They had trespassed to gain access to the site and broken into a fenced area in a bid to steal from it before they were electrocuted, investigators believe.

Firefighters from Gainesville Fire Department (GPD) and Georgia Power officials had to work together to ensure that the area was safe before the bodies could be recovered.

Newsweek has learned from the Gainesville Police Department that the men who lost their lives were Shane Joseph Long, 45, and Christopher Blair Wood, 44. Both men were from Gainesville.

Lieutenant Kevin Holbrook, of Gainesville Police Department, told Newsweek: "It is believed the deceased were attempting to steal copper wiring and other electrical components of the substation.

"First responders worked throughout the night and morning working with utility providers in an attempt to formulate a plan to safely recover the deceased; this made for a very dangerous situation for first responders."

A statement posted on Facebook by the police department was titled: "Alleged thieves electrocuted, killed in overnight heist at power substation." The statement added: "Emergency crews were alerted to a transformer fire in the 2100 block of Atlanta Highway at around 3:00AM this morning.

"Crews found two adult males deceased from apparent electrocution. Gainesville Fire and Georgia Power worked to ensure the area was safe for responders and to recover the deceased.

"The initial investigation has determined the two trespassed, broke into a fenced area, and attempted to steal from a power substation when they were electrocuted and killed. Investigators are working to identify the deceased victims. Anyone with information in this case is asked to contact GPD."

The social media post swiftly picked up hundreds of comments from local residents.

Some mocked the situation and were unsympathetic to the men's demise. "Problems that solve themselves," wrote one. Another added: "Now the families of the deceased will probably sue the power company because the fence wasn't tall enough, locks weren't strong enough, not enough warning signs to keep the criminals out of that area and get killed by the electricity provided by the power company."

But others were swift to point out that the men were human and deserving of respect in death. One commentator wrote: "I can't believe some of these comments. There sure are some hard hearted people in Gainesville. I certainly don't condone stealing, but GOOD GRIEF!!! These men that died are somebody's family member. Please have some sympathy for them...even if you don't have any for the men that died. Don't cause more grief for the families." Another posted: "Must've been a grisly scene. Sad for our first responders[...] who have to see and process this unfortunate situation. It sticks with you—yes they were engaged in criminal activity but they're still human beings."

Officers are appealing for anyone with information about the incident to contact police.

A very similar accident reportedly occurred in an occupied part of Ukraine the same day. A pro-Russian official stole a generator from a power station but was electrocuted to death on Monday, according to reports. He was killed in Alchevsk, in the Luhansk Oblast region of the country.

Some 10,000 people in Japan lost power to their homes when a snake slithered into an electric substation in Japan and was electrocuted—sparking a large fire. The incident resulted in an electricity cut across Koriyama City, meaning residents were unable to use their air conditioners as they sweltered in a heatwave last June.

In the U.S., a long-time AT&T employee was electrocuted and killed last summer after the bucket of his work truck hit some active power lines in Atlanta.

And two teenagers were fatally electrocuted when they touched live wires as they were exiting a car that crashed into a powerline in upstate New York in September.

A British woman who was scarred for life after being electrocuted on train tracks when she was a teenager made a viral TikTok video about her experience, which left her needing multiple surgeries.

Update 4/4/23, 11:15 a.m. ET: This article has been updated to include additional information from Gainesville PD and a quote from Lieutenant Kevin Holbrook.