Scottsdale police identify man who died in water slide pipe

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – A homeless man was the person who died after getting stuck in a pipe at a Scottsdale aquatic centre, authorities said.

Scottsdale police identified the victim Tuesday as 31-year-old Ryan Kelly.

They said an officer on patrol heard faint calls for help early Monday morning.

After a search, officers determined the calls were coming from the locked Eldorado Aquatic and Fitness Center.

Police said Kelly apparently climbed over the centre’s fence and managed to crawl inside of the large cylindrical steel centre support of one of the water slides where he became stuck.

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

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

Police said the Maricopa County Medical Examiner will determine the cause of death.