Power company accused of negligence after PSU grad’s electrocution near State College
The girlfriend and estate of a Penn State graduate filed a lawsuit Friday accusing electric utility giant FirstEnergy of negligence after he was electrocuted last year by a downed power line.
Xianwen “Winnie” Zhag and the estate of Gelin Tong claimed West Penn Power and its parent company were negligent in the installation and maintenance of its power lines that were downed during a March 2025 storm.
About 15 minutes after the downed power lines along the 200 block of South Water Street in Ferguson Township were reported to emergency dispatchers, Tong and Zhag encountered a line of traffic stopped just before a large tree blocking the road.
According to the suit, they remained stopped behind the tree for about two hours because they believed their electric vehicle did not have enough battery power to take an alternate route Penn State. Unsure of how long it would be until the tree was removed, the lawsuit said they called a friend who agreed to pick them up.
Instead, the lawsuit said Tong, 23, came into contact with a power line that was not visible to him because it was suspended in the air above the wooded path the pair was taking around the tree. He fell to the ground screaming and his body then caught fire, attorney George Zindel wrote.
Emergency services were called to the scene but could not intervene for about an hour until the electric company de-energized the line, according to the lawsuit. Zhag was told by first responders to remain where she was — about four feet behind Tong — to avoid being electrocuted. She was ultimately led safely back to the road.
Zindel said in the suit that she has experienced emotional trauma and psychological injuries such as anxiety, depression and nightmares. The lawsuit includes two counts of negligence and seeks an unspecified amount in excess of $50,000 on each claim.
Tong’s parents are listed as beneficiaries of his estate. His death was ruled accidental by the Centre County Coroner’s Office.
A FirstEnergy spokesperson declined comment Monday, saying the company does not comment on pending litigation.
It’s the second time in eight months that FirstEnergy and West Penn Power were sued over an electrocution in Centre County.
Bryce Lowman’s parents filed a lawsuit in November that also claimed negligence. The 22-year-old died in April 2025 after coming into contact with an energized guy wire while attempting to extinguish a mulch fire outside the State College-area hotel where he worked. The lawsuit is pending.