A tree trimmer has died after he fell into a wood chipper while working, authorities in northern California have revealed.
As reported by the Los Angeles Times, the incident occurred on October 12, shortly before 1:00PM in Menlo Park - a city in San Mateo County.
Local authorities disclosed that Jesus Contreras Benitez, 47, fell into the wood chipper, which is a machine that chops up pieces of larger wood into smaller pieces of wood.
After officers and emergency responders arrived at the scene, the man tragically succumbed to his injuries, according to NBC News.
An investigation is now underway and being led by California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health, the publication revealed.
The department has six months to confirm the circumstances regarding Benitez's death, such as whether a safety issue was at fault, per CBS News.
In addition, KTVU reported that the worker was employed by the arboricultural firm S.P. McClenahan - a division of Bartlett Tree Experts.
The outlet also explained that the Menlo Park Fire Protection District and the San Mateo County Coroner’s Office are among the agencies involved in the situation.
"We all feel sick and sad," longtime resident Lisa Mitchell said, according to ABC 7 News. "We're really sad. We're trying to imagine what the poor family and their fellow workers are feeling. And it's just, it's a lot. We just feel terrible."
Mitchell added that the local community is quite familiar with the company, saying: "We see a lot of their trucks. So, I can only imagine what they're feeling, because I'm sure they treat their employees like family and it's just, it's awful."
Resident Thanh Skinner shared that the community was previously told about tree-trimming operations in the area, however, they never imagined it would lead to a fatal incident.
"It's generally very peaceful, quiet, you don't really see any activity," Skinner said, per the outlet. "So, when I came home around 2:30PM, the street was completely blocked off. And so we thought maybe something had happened to one of our neighbors."
Police closed the area - which is within the San Fransisco Bay area, about 25 miles south of San Francisco - following the incident, and it will remain closed until the investigation is completed.
Authorities released no additional details.