Man Electrocuted While Taking Facebook Photos

California resident died after snapping pics in family's tree
By Neal Colgrass,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 10, 2014 2:40 PM CST
Updated Feb 10, 2014 4:00 PM CST
Man Killed While Posting Sunset Photos on Facebook
   (Shutterstock)

A California man met a tragic end over the weekend when he climbed a tree to take photos of the sunset and electrocuted himself. David Strohm Jr., 27, climbed a tree in his parents' backyard Saturday in Tustin, Calif., snapped the sunset pics, and posted one on Facebook shortly after 6pm. Friends and family, concerned as to his whereabouts, searched for him all night, even going door-to-door, the LA Times reports. The next morning, they spotted an ominous clue: his cell phone beneath the tree where he died, the Orange County Register reports.

Strohm was still in the tree, leaning dead against a power line; it's unclear how he ended up touching it. When firefighters came, they had power shut down to about 20 homes in order to safely bring down Strohm's body. Described by a neighbor as "just a nice kid" who liked helping family and neighbors, Strohm lived at the house with his mother and stepfather; his father was there, too, as his son's body was taken down. "Our message is: stay away," said an Orange County firefighter. "Electricity is so dangerous." (More Facebook stories.)

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