CASSOPOLIS — A Bremen man is dead following an accident at St. Ann Catholic Church on Saturday.

Officers from the Cassopolis Police Department were called to the church on N. Broadway Street at 1:45 p.m. for a reported unresponsive subject.

When officers arrived at the church, they located 65-year-old male James Birkey from Bremen, Indiana. He was unresponsive in a bucket lift, which was near several power lines, according to Cassopolis Police Chief Brian LaValle. On the ground was a running power washer.

“At that time, they realized it was safe to touch the bucket and were able to hit the release button that lowers the bucket at a slow rate,” LaValle said. “Once they were able to lower the bucket to the ground level, our officers, along with the Cass fire department and the Cass County Sheriff deputies, were able to remove him from the bucket lift.”

The officers and fire department then attempted CPR and to use a defibrillator He was was unable to be revived. The Deputy Medical Examiner on the scene determined the cause of death was electrocution.

“From what we could tell, the water jet itself hit the power source, which was obviously an exposed, live power source, and it made a connection through the water to the victims body,” LaValle said.

Birkley was contracted by the church to perform scheduled maintenance the exterior.

Assisting the Cassopolis Police Department was the Cass County Sheriff’s Office, Cass Central Fire Department and LifeCare Ambulance.