A woman who reportedly had a mental breakdown climbed onto a high-voltage substation transformer on Thursday, which resulted in over 800 homes in Utah being without power.
A video of the incident showed a woman in a red skirt scaling the transformer and later perching herself on one of the high-voltage bushings.
When rescue crews arrived to get her down from the transformer, she started to dangle from one of the wires attached to the bushings.
Watch the moment it went down here:
The woman climbed onto the high voltage transformer, luckily the power was off 🤯🤯🤯 pic.twitter.com/XY3GBM1AUN
— The Rebel (@Rebel3330) November 15, 2024
🚨#BREAKING: More than 800 Utah Homes Lost Power After Woman Climbs on a High Voltage Transformer Inside Substation
Authorities and electric crews responded to a call in Salt Lake City, Utah, after a woman damaged power equipment and climbed a… pic.twitter.com/pDDgRn3jqW
— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) November 14, 2024
A woman reportedly having “a mental health episode” climbed onto and damaged a high-voltage substation transformer Thursday, temporarily causing 800 homes in Salt Lake City to lose power.
ADVERTISEMENTA video taken at the scene shows the woman wearing a red skirt and sneakers perched on one of the high-voltage bushings at the top of a transformer, shouting obscenities at first responders.
When the first responders climbed up to reach her, she started dangling from one of the wires stretched between the bushings, treating the deadly equipment like an American Gladiator obstacle course.
A cherry picker was lifted to the wire where the woman was dangling, and she eventually managed to drop into it. A witness told ABC4 in Utah that the Salt Lake City Police Department resorted to using either a stun gun or a rubber bullet to get her off the wire.
The woman was taken into custody and transported to a hospital to be treated for “a mental health episode,” according to the report.
To ensure her safety, electric crews cut the power to the substation. More than 800 homes lost power for roughly two hours until the substation was reactivated.
🚨NEW: Over 800 homes in Utah have lost power after a woman experiencing a “mental health crisis” climbed a transformer.
What’re the odds she voted for Kamala?
pic.twitter.com/G9woWO0Xi3— Jack (@jackunheard) November 14, 2024
Here’s what ABC 4 News reported:
A woman is now receiving treatment after she damaged power equipment and climbed a substation transformer in Salt Lake City Wednesday morning during what police say was a mental health episode.
The incident, which took place near Gladiola Street and Decade Drive, led to authorities cutting power to more than 800 homes to prevent the woman from being electrocuted. According to the Salt Lake City Police Department, the alleged trespasser was taken into custody and transported to the hospital.
Ryan Kent, a witness to the incident, said he was driving in Salt Lake City when he noticed a couple of police cars at a power substation and pulled over to see what was happening.
ADVERTISEMENTHe said he saw a woman standing on top of the substation transformer “screaming obscenities” at the police as they tried to coax her to come down. He also noticed what looked like a smashed circuit box and a pipe nearby. That’s when four or five more police cars pulled up to the scene.
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