New York authorities are investigating the death of a 3-year-old boy who fell into a grease trap Monday morning in Rochester and died.
The tragedy happened behind a Tim Hortons restaurant around 11 a.m., according to WROC-TV.
A witness found the boy, pulled him out of the pit and administered CPR but the boy died a short time later at a local hospital.
"It's a horrible, tragic accident," police investigator Frank Camp told WROC.
There was no fencing around the trap and it was “flush with the ground,” Camp said.
The trap was covered with a green plastic lid and it blended in with the surrounding grass, Camp told CNN.
“The lid was on there. It looks like the child ran across it and it popped open and he fell into the trap,” Camp said.
The pit is 2.5-feet in diameter, and the city was called in to pour concrete around the trap and replace the plastic lid with a metal one.
Right Now: A crew is working to secure a grease trap at Tim Hortons on University Avenue. This is following a tragic accident earlier today. A 3-year-old boy has died after falling into this grease trap. Police attempts were made to save him but were unsuccessful. @SPECNewsROC pic.twitter.com/fubViueURN
— Natasha Acrie (@NatashaAcrieTV) July 15, 2019
"We have a horrifying episode here that happened today," Camp said, according to CNN. "We're asked all the time, 'What's the worst thing you encounter as a police officer?' and this is No. 1."
It’s unclear how the child, who was not publicly identified, wandered behind the restaurant.
The medical examiner will issue an official cause of death in the next few weeks
"We have a horrifying episode here that happened today," Camp said, according to CNN. "We're asked all the time, 'What's the worst thing you encounter as a police officer?' and this is No. 1."
It’s unclear how the child, who was not publicly identified, wandered behind the restaurant.
The medical examiner will issue an official cause of death in the next few weeks.
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