Man dies inside pipe after breaking into Arizona aquatic center
SCOTTSDALE, AZ - A 31-year-old man died while attempting to break into an aquatic facility in Arizona early Monday. Police say the burglar became trapped inside of a support structure for a water slide and died while first responders were trying to rescue him.
Around 12:20 a.m., a police officer patrolling the Eldorado Aquatic and Fitness Center says he heard muffled calls for help but was unable to pinpoint exactly where they were coming from. After searching the area for over an hour, firefighters and officers were able to locate the man inside of a pipe but could not easily free him.
"It took some work to get down in there, which obviously would not be the first place that people would be looking to find someone because of the difficulty," Police spokesperson Kevin Watts said.
According to Watts, the pipe was connected to a water slide and had to be completely dismantled by crane.
The man, who was later identified as Ryan Kelly, was in contact with first responders for approximately an hour and a half before he became unresponsive. He was pronounced dead after 2 a.m..
Kelly's motive for breaking into the facility is unclear. Deputies say he would have had to scale a fence and break into the locked Aquatic Center before lowering himself into the tube.
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The incident is still under investigation.