Man dead after getting trapped in Scottsdale water slide structure

PHOENIX – A homeless man died after getting stuck in a pipe at a Scottsdale aquatic center Monday morning, according to authorities.

The Scottsdale Police Department said that around 12:30 a.m., an officer on patrol heard faint calls for help. After a search, officers determined the calls were coming from the locked Eldorado Aquatic and Fitness Center.

The man was identified Tuesday as 31-year-old Ryan Kelly (initial reports said he was 32).

He’d had climbed over the center’s fence and managed to crawl inside of the large cylindrical steel center support of one of the water slides where he became stuck, police said.

Officers and fire personal initially had verbal contact with Kelly, but he soon became unresponsive. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Crews worked for several hours to dismantle the structure to retrieve his body.

According to the city of Scottsdale website, the pool was closed for the day and all programs were moved to the Chaparral pool.

The investigation is ongoing. The Maricopa County Medical Examiner will determine the cause of death.

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