Italian police investigate death of 15-year-old on high-voltage pylon in Lodi
Fifteen-year-old Jacopo Trabattoni was found electrocuted on an electrical pylon in Bottedo after grid operator Terna detected a voltage drop, prompting an investigation into a suspected social media challenge.
Discovery at the transmission pylon
On the evening of 25 September 2026, technicians from Italian electricity grid operator Terna inspected a high-voltage transmission line in the countryside near Cascina Bottedo, situated along the boundary between Lodi and Lodi Vecchio. The inspection followed an alert from Terna's central operating room, which registered an anomaly and sudden voltage drop along the transmission backbone at 18:26. Upon reaching the steel pylon, which stands over 20 meters tall in an agricultural cornfield, the utility crew discovered the lifeless body of 15-year-old Jacopo Trabattoni. The victim's body remained suspended on one of the pylon's lower support brackets. During the same period, Trabattoni's mother arrived at the police headquarters in Lodi to file a missing person report after her son failed to return home and could not be contacted. Law enforcement authorities immediately linked the missing person alert to the discovery at the electrical installation.
Recovery and grid safety operations
Emergency responders, state police units, and prosecutors gathered at the scene, but retrieving the body presented substantial technical difficulties. Firefighters could not immediately approach the structure because safety protocols prohibited personnel from nearing active high-voltage cables. De-energizing the electrical backbone required specialized coordination, as the infrastructure supplies regional power stations and urban centers. The complex operation lasted throughout the night, with firefighters finally bringing Trabattoni's body to the ground shortly after 03:00 on 26 September. Officers secured the surrounding perimeter and searched the terrain, locating Trabattoni's mountain bike in the adjacent cornfield at the base of the pylon alongside other personal belongings.
- Terna operating room registers a voltage anomaly along the high-voltage transmission backbone.
- Grid technicians locate the 15-year-old victim suspended on the lower brackets of the pylon.
- The victim's mother reports her son missing at the Lodi police station.
- Firefighters recover the body from the structure after completing safety procedures.
Phone evidence and witness reports
Investigators from the Lodi police mobile squad recovered the teenager's mobile phone from the ground beneath the pylon and seized the device for technical inspection. Initial forensic checks revealed a selfie photograph taken while Trabattoni was on the structure's access ladder near the top. Detectives are also examining testimony from a local driver who reported seeing the teenager shortly before the fatal incident along the road near Cascina Paderno, traveling toward the Lodi industrial district. The witness told investigators that the youth was lying motionless across the roadway as if he were dead. When the motorist stopped approximately 50 meters away, the boy suddenly stood up and ran off.
Investigative hypotheses and autopsy
The Public Prosecutor's Office of Lodi initiated an investigation into the fatal event and ordered an autopsy, sending the body to the Institute of Legal Medicine in Pavia. Preliminary medical examinations identified severe electrocution burns and physical trauma consistent with contact with live wires and a subsequent fall. Investigators are evaluating whether Trabattoni climbed the tower to take extreme photos for an online dare or social media challenge before accidentally touching high-voltage cables while climbing down. Specialists from the State Police continue to analyze the digital contents of the seized mobile phone and verify whether any companions were present during the ascent.
