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Surveillance video shows moment boy & man were shocked at Provincetown pier

PROVINCETOWN, Mass. — Boston 25 News has obtained surveillance video showing the moment a young boy was thrown off his feet and into the ocean after stepping on an electrified metal plate at a popular pier in Provincetown.

The 11-year-old boy was walking along the wooden edge of MacMillan Pier on the afternoon of September 1 when he stepped on the electrified plate and was zapped.

The shock was so severe, the boy was thrown off his feet and into the water headfirst.

A 25-year-old man walking by the pier heard the boy’s screams for help, immediately stripped down to his boxers and jumped into the water to pull the boy out.

Minutes later, the boy is seen out of the water and pointing at the metal plate that knocked him off his feet.

As the man who rescued him walked over the same metal plate, he too was bounced off his feet and jolted around for a couple of seconds.

Police, the harbormaster and an ambulance then arrive at the scene.

The boy and man were taken to Cape Cod Hospital to be checked out. Provincetown Fire Chief Michael Trovato said that both have recovered.

According to doctors, electric shock can cause several problems to the body, including putting the heart out of rhythm.

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Trovato said the electric shock issue was first reported in May. In separate incidents, a dog and a man were zapped when stepping on the plate.

On Monday, the pier’s manager, Doug Boulanger, told Boston 25 News electrical engineers have since identified the problem as a compromised wire from a nearby lamp. Boulanger said the lamp was causing an occasional stray electrical current to shoot into the pier. He said repairs have since been made.

Our attempts to reach the boy who was shocked were unsuccessful. The man who rescued him from the water didn't want to talk to us.

Provincetown’s town manager also declined comment.