State police said Aaron Cottrell was found near active electrical lines in Dunbar Township.
DUNBAR TOWNSHIP, PA — A 32-year-old Pennsylvania man was electrocuted Friday morning after police said he tried to take wire from active electrical lines along Laurel Hill Road in Fayette County.
Pennsylvania State Police identified the man as Aaron Cottrell, whose listed hometown varied in local reports as New Salem or Scottdale. The death drew a response from state police and the Fayette County Coroner’s Office, which pronounced him dead at the scene. Investigators said the case remained open Friday as officials reviewed what happened near the rural road and nearby Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church.
Troopers were called shortly after 7 a.m. Friday to Laurel Hill Road in Dunbar Township after Cottrell was found on the ground. Police said evidence at the scene showed he had been trying to get wire from active electrical lines when he was shocked. A pole saw and backpack were found near him, investigators said. The coroner’s office later said Cottrell died from accidental electrocution. State police said in a release that high-voltage lines can stay energized and should not be handled by people who are not authorized to work on them. “Tampering with or attempting to remove wire from active electrical infrastructure is extremely dangerous and can result in serious injury or death,” troopers said.
The Fayette County Coroner’s Office was called to the area near Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church shortly after the first emergency response. The coroner’s office said Cottrell was not working at the site for the church or for a commercial business when he died. Police did not say whether anyone else was with Cottrell before he was found, and officials did not report any other injuries. Investigators also did not immediately say how long Cottrell had been at the location before troopers were called. The line was described by police as active electrical infrastructure, and authorities said the equipment involved was dangerous even without visible sparks or other warning signs. The exact type of wire involved was not confirmed in the state police release.
The incident happened in Fayette County, southeast of Pittsburgh, in a part of southwestern Pennsylvania where roads pass homes, churches, wooded areas and utility corridors. Laurel Hill Road is in Dunbar Township, a community outside Connellsville. Local reporting placed the scene near Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church, but officials said Cottrell was not there in any work role connected to the church. Wire theft cases often lead investigators to examine scrap value, access points and whether utility service was affected. In this case, police did not immediately report an outage, damage estimate or scrap value. One nearby church member, Scherry Scully, told a Pittsburgh television station she questioned why anyone would risk death for wire that a utility worker told her might have brought about $100.
State police said the death investigation is ongoing. No charges were announced Friday, and officials did not identify any suspected accomplice. The coroner’s finding of accidental electrocution addressed the cause and manner of death, but police kept the case open while reviewing the scene and surrounding circumstances. West Penn Power, the local electric utility, said in a statement that the public should stay away from power lines and utility equipment. “Electrical equipment and power lines are extremely dangerous and should never be approached, touched or tampered with under any circumstances,” the utility said. Investigators did not announce a date for a further briefing or the release of a final report.
The death left neighbors and passersby focused on the danger of a routine-looking roadside utility scene. The pole saw and backpack described by police became central details in the early account, pointing investigators to what they believe Cottrell had been trying to do before the shock. State police said active power lines should always be treated as energized, a point officials repeated after the death. The warning came as first responders, coroners and utility workers in the region have handled other fatal or serious electrocution calls in recent years, including incidents involving downed lines, work crews and storm damage. Friday’s case was different because police said the fatal contact happened during an attempt to remove wire.
By Saturday, authorities had released Cottrell’s name, age and the basic findings from the scene, but many details remained unknown. State police had not said whether the electrical line was damaged, whether service was interrupted or whether surveillance video, witness statements or additional evidence had been collected. The next public step is expected to come from state police or the Fayette County Coroner’s Office as the investigation continues.
Author note: Last updated May 23, 2026.