Electrician rescued after six-hour ordeal trapped in Illinois sign

An electrician, AJ Gow, was trapped for more than six hours inside a 130-foot-tall gas station sign in Wilmington, Illinois, after a mechanical failure left him stranded. The incident occurred on July 21 during a routine maintenance job at a Petro Travel Center.

Gow had sent a coworker down in a telescopic boom lift to retrieve water and a fan due to the intense heat inside the unventilated structure. The lift malfunctioned while the coworker attempted to return, leaving Gow stuck in the narrow, sweltering compartment. As the heat intensified and he went without water, Gow recorded goodbye messages for his wife and children, fearing he would not survive.

Rescue efforts were complicated because local fire department ladders only reached 100 feet, falling short of the 130-foot sign. Authorities eventually secured a specialized high-reach lift from a nearby site in Joliet. The Illinois State Police escorted the equipment to the scene, and Gow was successfully brought down to safety.