Police identify two men killed in Short Pump residential construction site incident

HENRICO, Va. (WWBT) - An investigation is underway after two men were killed and another man was seriously injured at a residential construction site in Henrico County’s Short Pump area.

Around 8:16 Thursday morning, first responders were called to the 4500 block of Bacova Club Court for the report of a fire around a home. Scorch marks could be seen on the side of the home where the incident took place.

NBC12 spoke briefly with a neighbor off-camera who called 911. He said what he witnessed was one of the most traumatic things he’s ever seen.

“When our units arrived, along with the police, we discovered that there was a piece of scaffolding used to put up siding that was then in contact with the power line adjacent to the house,” said Henrico Fire Assistant Chief Henry Rosenbaum.

Once on scene, Henrico Police and Fire found three men on the ground.

Two of the men were identified as Juan Carlos Moreno-Romero, 34, and Oscar Rosales, 18; they were pronounced dead at the scene.

“The third gentleman was transported to VCU Medical Center where he is being treated for injuries to his arms and legs from the electrical exposure,” Rosenbaum said.

Family members also responded to the area Friday morning.

Rosales’ cousin shared a photo of him and said the Connecticut-born teen had moved away to live with family in Guatemala for an extended period of time before coming back to the U.S. within the last year.

However, the incident leaves many unanswered questions, such as how the scaffolding fell onto the residential power line in the first place.

“Any object that would make contact with power lines, you run the risk of it arcing and or causing injuries to people in the immediate area,” Rosenbaum said.

According to Dominion Energy, one of those lines can carry anywhere from 4,000 to 34,000 volts.

The incident knocked out power to roughly 2,300 customers for 45 minutes.

Police closed Liesfeld Farm Drive between Charles Phillip Drive and Mason Glen Drive for a few hours, but the scene has been cleared.

“It’s definitely a tragic day here in our community,” Rosenbaum said. “Our hearts and prayers go out to the affected families.”

First responders are working with OSHA to determine the cause of this incident.

The Medical Examiner’s Office will determine an official cause and manner of death for Moreno-Romero and Rosales.

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