By james art MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) – The Madison Police Department says a man got stuck in a donation box and died near the Hy-vee parking lot on the west side.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs is investigating the death of a 49-year-old man. The accident happened around 3:15 p.m. Tuesday just off Whitney Way.
Initially, the police were called to the scene to check the welfare of a person.
When officers arrived, they saw a man hanging from a donation box. First responders provided life-saving measures, but the man died at the scene.
Many Hy-Vee shoppers on Madison’s west side were surprised to learn of a death investigation in the store’s parking lot.
“It was definitely surprising to hear because Madison is usually a very quiet city and this is a very active residential and commercial area,” Matthew Landauer said.
Landauer is a regular customer who says he lives not too far from the store.
“It was surprising to hear something like this happening in this space,” Landauer said.
MPD Public Information Officer Stephanie Fryer says they are investigating how the 49-year-old man ended up in the donation box.
“Did they accidentally donate some of the property they were trying to get back?” Fryer asked. “They were just tapping into whatever it was, but just trying to figure out what led to the situation that developed?”
Police say the man has ties to other states and are not sure how long he has been in the Madison area.
In busy areas such as a store parking lot, officers continue to maintain the integrity of the investigation.
“It’s been very busy, so the things that our staff will do, we have tents or shades that we can bring in to protect the patient’s privacy,” Fryer said.
Residents hope police can provide more answers soon. “It’s surprising to hear, so my condolences to the family and I hope the police can do a proper investigation,” Landauer said.
Fryer says she is grateful to customers who reported the incident at the store.
“It’s one of those things that we always say, if you see something that seems wrong, please report it, in this case that’s what happened,” she said.
MPD says there is no indication there are any suspects in this case.
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