Graffiti painter shocked burned


SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) - A man was shocked and burned over most of his body while spray-painting graffiti inside an electrical substation in northwestern Santa Fe, police say.

Aaron Vigil, 18, of Santa Fe suffered burns over 70 percent to 80 percent of his body Wednesday, Santa Fe police Sgt. Aric Wheeler said.

Vigil was in critical condition Thursday at a Phoenix burn treatment center, Wheeler said.

Authorities will assess whether charges will be filed once Vigil recovers, Wheeler said.
Vigil had called 911 from his cell phone and was conscious when paramedics arrived at the substation, Assistant Fire Chief Ted Bolleter said.

High-voltage wires carry about 115,000 volts into the substation - enough to easily stop a human heart, Bolleter said.

The substation redistributes electricity to 5,800 households, said Jeff Buell, a Public Service Company of New Mexico spokesman.

There is so much electricity running through the substation that the current does not need a strong conductor, such as a metal wire or stream of water, to escape and electrocute someone, he said.

A stream of spray paint would be more than sufficient to conduct electricity inside the substation, Buell said.

The substation is clearly labeled with high-voltage signs and is protected by a concrete wall capped with razor wire, he said.

The man apparently jumped the wall and the wire to get inside the facility, Wheeler said.