It’s one of those videos that makes you do a double-take while scrolling. You’ve probably seen the grainy footage by now: a woman in a red skirt, perched high above the ground on a massive, high-voltage electrical transformer, screaming at the sky. It looks like a scene out of a dystopian movie, but for over 800 residents in Salt Lake City, it was a very real reason their lights flickered and died on a Wednesday morning in November 2024.
Honestly, the whole thing was terrifying. We aren't just talking about a backyard pole. This was a major substation near Gladiola Street and Decade Drive.
When the news first broke that a Utah woman climbs transformer and knocks out power for an entire neighborhood, the internet did what it does best—it went viral. People made jokes, some were angry about their Wi-Fi going down, and others were just confused. But when you peel back the "viral moment" layer, the actual details of the standoff are way more intense than a 15-second clip can show.
The Standoff at the Power District
The incident kicked off around 11 a.m. at Rocky Mountain Power’s headquarters. This wasn't a quick climb-and-jump situation. This was a prolonged, high-stakes confrontation.
According to witnesses and police reports, the woman didn't just climb; she went on a path of destruction before she even left the ground. She reportedly used a metal pipe to smash a control panel and damaged various pieces of equipment.
Once she was up there, things got weird.
She wasn't just sitting; she was dangling. At one point, she was gripping a high-voltage wire and moving along it like a "vine," according to people on the ground. Salt Lake City Police (SLCPD) arrived to find her perched on the bushings—those large, ribbed cylindrical insulators you see on transformers.
The danger here cannot be overstated.
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Substations are essentially cages of controlled lightning. If Rocky Mountain Power hadn't acted fast, this wouldn't have been a news story about a power outage; it would have been a recovery mission. Dispatchers had to kill the juice to roughly 800 homes immediately. They didn't have a choice. If they kept the power on, one wrong move or even getting too close to a high-voltage arc would have killed her instantly.
Negotiators and Cherry Pickers
The police didn't just rush in. They brought in negotiators. For a good 20 to 30 minutes, they tried to talk her down. A witness named Ryan Kent told local news that she was yelling about the world not being safe for her or her future children. It was clear to everyone watching that this wasn't a prank or a protest—it was a severe mental health crisis.
When words didn't work, the "cherry pickers" (utility bucket lifts) came out.
The police tried to surround her with the lifts, but she wasn't having it. She actually started kicking at the buckets to keep them away. Imagine being a first responder 20 feet in the air, trying to grab someone who is swinging off high-voltage lines like an "American Gladiator" contestant.
Why the Police Used "Less-Lethal" Force
This is the part of the story that sparked the most debate online. Eventually, an officer used a "less-lethal" weapon—likely a pepper ball gun or a bean bag round—to get her to comply.
Why? Because she was moving deeper into the equipment.
The police warned her: get into the bucket or get shot. When she refused and continued to dangle from the wires, they fired. She "yelped" and collapsed into the bucket of the cherry picker. It sounds harsh, but in the hierarchy of "bad outcomes," a bruise from a rubber bullet is a lot better than being fried by 44,000 volts.
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She was lowered to the ground, crying and in pain but alive.
The Real Impact of the Outage
While the drama was unfolding at the substation, the surrounding neighborhood was in the dark.
- 800+ households lost power for about two hours.
- Traffic lights in the immediate area were affected.
- Repair costs were incurred due to the smashed control panels.
Power was finally restored just before 1 p.m. once the site was cleared and the woman was safely in an ambulance headed for a hospital evaluation.
Understanding the "Why" Behind the Climb
It's easy to look at a headline about a Utah woman climbs transformer and dismiss it as "Florida Man" energy moving West. But the reality is almost always tied to the mental health crisis currently straining city resources across the country.
The Salt Lake City Police Department later confirmed she was experiencing a significant mental health episode. This wasn't about "climbing a tower for a view." It was a person in a state of total disconnect from reality, seeking a high point in a moment of perceived danger.
In Utah, as in many states, these types of "Officer-Involved Critical Incidents" (OICI) are highly scrutinized. While this specific event didn't result in a fatality, it highlights the impossible position first responders are put in: how do you save someone who is actively trying to put themselves in the most dangerous spot imaginable?
Safety Realities of Power Substations
If there is one thing to take away from this, it’s that substations are not playgrounds. Even with the power "off," large transformers can hold a residual charge.
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- Fencing is there for a reason: Most substations use grounded chain-link fences topped with barbed wire.
- The "Arc" Factor: You don't even have to touch a wire to get electrocuted; high-voltage electricity can "jump" or arc through the air if you get close enough.
- Property Damage: Beyond the human cost, the equipment damaged in these incidents is custom-built and incredibly expensive. Replacing a smashed control panel isn't like buying a new circuit breaker at Home Depot; it can take weeks for full repairs.
How to Handle Similar Situations
If you ever see someone trespassing in a high-voltage area or acting erratically near utility equipment, there are a few things you should—and shouldn't—do.
Call 911 immediately. Don't try to be a hero and climb in after them. You’ll likely just double the number of people in danger.
Keep back. If equipment is damaged, the ground itself can become energized through something called "step potential." If a wire is down or a transformer is leaking, the electricity spreads through the soil. Staying at least 35 feet away is the standard safety recommendation.
Inform the utility company. While the police handle the person, Rocky Mountain Power or your local utility needs to know exactly which substation is compromised so they can reroute power and prevent a grid-wide surge.
The Salt Lake City incident ended without a loss of life, which is a miracle considering the woman was literally hanging from the "bushings" of a live transformer. It serves as a stark reminder of how fragile our infrastructure is and how quickly a personal crisis can become a city-wide problem.
If you or someone you know is struggling with a mental health crisis, don't wait for a "transformer moment." In the U.S., you can call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline anytime. It's free, confidential, and available 24/7. Taking that step is a lot safer than climbing a wire.