The victims apparently were awakened in their second-floor apartment early morning of November 19 about 4:15 a.m. by the sound of a car alarm, possibly triggered by the fallen power line, Mayor John F. McKeon said.
The men apparently died instantly and were found lying one on top of the other, their feet protruding from an open front door, by the first West Orange police officer to reach the scene, Mayor McKeon said.
The officer, Michael O'Donnell, managed to pull one victim from the car as the interior burned, the mayor said. But then Officer O'Donnell noticed blue flames arcing across the hood of the car and realized that electricity was moving through the burning car, the mayor said. Officer O'Donnell backed away and ordered all bystanders to stay away from the car.
The three victims were described as natives of El Salvador who had been in the United States on work visas for several years. They were identified as Jose A. Pena-Rivera, 25; his brother, Elmer, 28; and their cousin Saul Lardaverde, 21. Officials said Wilfredo Lardaverde, 26, Saul's brother, suffered burns to his hands and arms. Carlos Pena-Rivera, 22, the brother of Jose and Elmer, whose right hand was wrapped in bandages, said he also was burned.
Most recently, the men worked as painters for a commercial and residential painting company, M. A. Paint, of West Orange. All five lived together in the apartment in a two-story house with two friends and routinely sent money back to parents and relatives in El Salvador, acquaintances said.
Their boss, Marvin Ardon, 29, and friends and relatives gathered in a driving rain last night outside the house to remember them and to mourn. Mr. Ardon described them as "very cool guys."
A cousin, Anna Valle, 30, stood crying on a front porch. "They were young, funny guys — all three of them," she said. "They enjoyed to get together with their friends. And they worked every day, because that's what they were here for."
Ms. Valle said that Jose and Elmer Pena-Rivera's mother, Maria, had left Saturday for El Salvador after a three-week stay and had planned to visit her sons again at Christmastime.
Public Service Electric & Gas Company said it had not yet determined why the power line fell. It carried 7,600 volts when it hit the car. A company spokeswoman, Karen Johnson, said an initial check of records for the neighborhood had not turned up any reports of recent problems with the line, including during last week's high winds.
Ms. Johnson said television news reports about the electrocutions quoted some residents as saying that utility trucks were in the neighborhood last week. But she said the company did not believe that its repair crews were in the neighborhood recently.
Mayor McKeon said town authorities had classified the downed wire as an accident.
He said fire officials were unable to explain why Officer O'Donnell was not electrocuted when he removed one of the victims.
"God was looking out for him," the mayor said.
Mr. McKeon said the authorities think one brother tried to enter the car first and was killed as he opened the front door. His brother then apparently tried to help and was electrocuted after he touched him or the car. Then their cousin apparently tried to help them and he, too, was killed. His body was slumped on top of the two others.
Mr. Lardaverde's body was the only one that Officer O'Donnell managed to remove before he noticed the electrical arcing and flames filled the car, officials said. It was not immediately clear who owned the burned car, a white, four-door 1996 Honda. Mr. McKeon said it was not registered to any of the dead men, but would not identify the owner.
During the afternoon, a memorial took shape near the utility pole that hours earlier held the fallen line. By evening, about a dozen candles flickered in a cardboard box by the pole. Rosary beads and a photograph of the Virgin Mary were placed on the pole. After nightfall, someone fastened an umbrella to the pole to protect the religious items from the rain.
The mayor called the electrocutions a tragedy for the entire community. "We will support the survivor, grieve together and move on the best we can," he said.