Worker Kills Himself Over AWOL iPhone 4G Prototype

By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 22, 2009 6:54 AM CDT
Worker Kills Himself Over AWOL iPhone 4G Prototype
Foxconn, which makes all of Apple's iPhone models, has confirmed that 25-year-old employee Sun Danyong committed suicide.   (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

A Chinese worker accused of stealing an iPhone 4G prototype jumped to his death from the 12th floor of his apartment building in the southern city of Shenzhen, the BBC reports. The man, 25, responsible for shipping 16 iPhone prototypes to Apple, had reported one missing. His friends say he felt humiliated after security guards sent by his employer, Foxconn Technology, searched his home, locked him in a room, and beat him.  

"We are saddened by the tragic loss of this young employee, and we are awaiting results of the investigations into his death," an Apple spokeswoman told CNET. "We require our suppliers to treat all workers with dignity and respect." Foxconn, a Taiwanese company that makes Apple's iPhones and iPods, has suspended its head of security over the incident.
(More Apple stories.)

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