A 6-year-old Salem boy died Tuesday after he picked up a branch to put into a wood chipper and was pulled into it, state police said.
The child was identified as Jeffrey Bourgeois, of Salem.
According to a state police news release, police received a 911 call at 8:45 a.m. Tuesday that a child had been seriously injured in the yard of a private home at 24 Brookside Drive in Salem.
When they arrived, they found the child had died.
The news release said that based on a preliminary investigation, the child’s father was performing tree work at the house, and his three children had gone with him to the work site.
“As the father was working the 6-year-old child picked up a branch to put into the wood chipper when the child became entangled and was pulled into the chipper,” the news release said.
The father, who owns a tree removal service, was working at a client’s home on Brookside Road at the time of the accident.
State Police from Troop K, the Salem Resident State Trooper, Salem Fire Department, and Salem EMS all responded to the scene.
Troopers and the State Police Major Crime Squad later secured the scene to investigate the child’s death.
