Stop Stray Voltage Electrocutions
Friends of Barkis

We are a group of New York City citizens concerned about the ongoing problem of stray voltage causing electrocutions and shocks to pedestrians and animals.

On February 15, 2006, Danny Kapilian was walking his dog Barkis on 3rd Street between 3rd and 4th Avenues in Park Slope, Brooklyn in front of a Con Ed Substation when Barkis was electrocuted and later died due to stray voltage from a street lamp that was removed two years prior.

A live wire, which was not properly terminated when the street lamp was removed, was sitting beneath the city street and any child, adult or pet could have suffered the same horrible consequences.

For years now, stray voltage problems have affected the public safety of people and pets due to eroding city wiring, the use of rock salt to eliminate snow and faulty maintenance work. This is a serious problem that needs to be addressed immediately with citywide inspections and repairs not just of service boxes and manhole covers but also of city sidewalks.

A number of incidents have been reported lately of frayed wires in conduits conducting current to city sidewalks when the sidewalks become saturated from either rain or melting snow.

We want to walk down our city sidewalks and be safe from electrocution and shocks. We are asking that Mayor Bloomberg, The City of New York, Con Edison and the Department of Transportation take appropriate action now before another serious incident occurs.