Stealing copper didn’t end well for these two.

Copper Wiring

Police were called to an incident inside a factory over in America this Tuesday, after a teenager called them up to tell them he’d entered the premises to steal copper cabling and his friend was burnt.

It’s believed the older man of the duo, said to be 32, managed to touch a live bar that channelled 6,350 volts worth of power through his body. He received burns to his left hand, head and thighs, but is probably lucky to have not been killed from such a massive electrical surge.

Copper cable theft is a constant problem. Criminals basically steal the copper from anywhere they can, and sell it on at recycling plants and other installations for a healthy profit. Incidents like this one also show how dangerous it is – even areas that seem dormant may have live, dangerous wiring installations just waiting to strike down any criminals wanting to steal copper.

Police constantly have to deal with similar criminals around the world on a daily basis. Copper theft is both an extreme annoyance for the police and firms, as the stolen copper often has to be replaced and the selling price is currently very high (hence the burglaries in the first place).

The two involved in the incident are currently facing charges based on trespassing in a substation.

As horrible as the accident was, here’s hoping that the incident shocked some sense into the guy trying to steal stuff and made him think twice about stealing copper from installations.