Photo courtesy of Powers' family
Friends Grieve For 'Gentle Giant' Killed By Live Wire In Freehold Township
He came into the same bagel shop every day. On Wednesday, he wasn't there. The N.J. man was killed when he fell on a live wire .
By Tom Davis (Patch Staff) - May 18, 2017 4:45 pm ET
Bob Gewirtz knew something wasn't right. He walked into Tommy's Bagels In Manalapan on Thursday, and the man he knew as the "gentle giant" wasn't there.
"We'd sit there," Gewirtz said of Andrew "Drew" Powers. We'd talk about anything - sports, what he was doing on his job."
"We'd talk about what he planned to do when he retired," said Gewirtz, who is retired. "He wanted to know what it's like."
Then Gewirtz read Patch and found out the worst. Soon after, he found some JCP&L workers, some of whom worked with Powers, and they confirmed it.
Powers, a JCP&L worker for nearly 27 years, was killed when he fell on a live wire on Wednesday morning, according to police.
Ron Morano, a spokesman for the company, confirmed that Powers, 56, of Metuchen was killed while on the job in Freehold Township, but he didn't provide further information.
"This is something very tragic," he said, "and our thoughts and prayers are with the family, friends and co-workers."
Gewirtz said Powers stood about 6 feet 5 inches tall, but he was very soft-spoken and pleasant - hence, the nickname "Gentle Giant."
Roger Ailes dies. Chris Cornell dies. There is a very fat mascot in St. Paul, Minnesota.
He said he and Powers just clicked one day, several years ago. Gewirtz thought he might be an athlete, and then discovered he worked for JCP&L. Most of all, he said, he was just a "nice guy" who liked to shoot the breeze.
"This guy was the nicest guy. He was a big guy, but he was a gentleman," he said.
The Freehold Police Department said that Powers was working on Kings Mountain Road around 10:14 a.m. when he fell onto a ground transformer and made contact with a live wire
Powers was unconscious when emergency personnel arrived and regained consciousness, police said, but died after being transported to CentraState Medical Center in Freehold.
Morano said the incident was under investigation.
Funeral arrangements are pending.
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JCP&L employee dies after falling on live transformer wire
Posted on May 17, 2017 at 8:42 PM
By Paul Milo
NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP, NJ-- An employee of JCP&L was killed in a work-related incident Wednesday morning, said Ron Morano, a spokesman for the company.
Morano identified the worker as Andrew Powers but did not immediately have any additional information about him.
Sgt. James Kolis of the Freehold Police Department said Powers was working on Kings Mountain Road around 10:14 a.m. when he fell onto a pad-mounted transformer and made contact with a live wire.
Powers was unconscious when first-responders arrived and later regained consciousness, Kolis said, but died after being transported to CentraState Medical Center in Freehold.
Morano, the JCP&L spokesman, said the incident was under investigation.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and co-workers," Morano said.
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Metuchen Man Was JCPL Worker Electrocuted In Freehold
Andrew Powers, 56, of Metuchen was working on a transformer in Freehold just after 10 a.m. Tuesday when he fell and touched a live wire.
By Carly Baldwin (Patch Staff) - May 18, 2017 3:04 pm ET
FREEHOLD, NJ — The Jersey Central Power & Light employee who was tragically killed Tuesday in an accident in Freehold was from Metuchen, Freehold police said. Andrew Powers, 56, of Metuchen was working on a transformer on Kings Mountain Road in Freehold just after 10 a.m. Tuesday when he lost his balance.
As he was falling, he put out his hands to break his fall and he came into contact with live electrical wires. Powers was electrocuted, but he was able to walk, talk and describe exactly what had happened to fellow JCP&L employees working nearby who rushed to help him, reported the Asbury Park Press. He initially even refused medical attention.
In fact, when Freehold police officer Richard Gregg arrived at the scene, he found Powers with burned hands and cut arms but standing and talking with his coworkers, the APP reported.
However, without warning, Powers then suddenly collapsed.
"Several minutes into it, as they're examining him and talking, he suffered a medical episode, collapsed and was unresponsive," Freehold police Lt. Raymond Piccolini told the APP.
Officer Gregg began CPR and also applied AED pads to try and get his heart pumping again. With CPR in progress the whole time, Powers was rushed to CentraState Medical Center, but was ultimately pronounced dead at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday.
A JCP&L investigation into exactly what happened is now underway, said JCP&L spokesman Ron Morano. "This is something very tragic," he said, "and our thoughts and prayers are with the family, friends and co-workers."
Electrical
service boxes and pad-mounted transformers (like those pictured) are
necessary equipment in areas served by underground electrical lines.
Keep your family safe:
Keep your family safe:
- Recognize that electrical service boxes and transformers house dangerous electrical components;
- Respect the equipment by not opening or tampering with it;
- Report any damaged, opened or unlocked electrical boxes to the cooperative or utility company immediately.