Man zapped atop power pole

Turns out Mom was right - playing with wires is not such a bright idea.

Authorities said a local man learned that painful lesson firsthand when he climbed a 40-foot pole in North Philadelphia last night and grabbed a wire that supplied power to local Amtrak and SEPTA trains.

The ensuing jolt of electricity left him critically injured and forced SEPTA and Amtrak to suspend service on some local trains for about two hours.

Authorities said the bizarre tale started to unfold shortly before 6 p.m., when the man clambered up a pole at Glenwood Avenue and Tusculum Street.

Capt. Frank Vanore, head of North Philly's 25th Police District, said cops arrived at the scene and found the man, who is believed to be in his 30s, resting against a tower at the top of the pole.

Someone had recently stolen copper wire from that tower, Vanore said, but it was unclear if the same person was involved in both incidents.

Fire Department officials eventually got the man down, after the power was shut off at the site. He was taken to Temple University Hospital for treatment.