July 26, 2006
Philly Folks-The PECO Man
Philly Confidential is proud to present another wacky installment of Philly Folks.
[Cue the drums].
Meet Cyrus Cupit, 44, a PECO employee whose daily goal is to switch off the electricity of at least one naughty scofflaw.
But Cyrus is no ordinary pain in the butt utility worker.
Cyrus said he carries around three cameras in his pockets, and snaps digital photos of his odd adventures.
He recently showed off a picture of a deer’s head blocking someone’s outdoor fuse box. Cyrus said PECO customers do all sorts of weird stuff to prevent him from finding the switch to turn off their lights.
“When I have to cut off a church. I use holy water,” he joked while standing in front of a East Oak Lane church two week ago.
PC met Cyrus while covering a funeral. Cyrus, dressed in his full dark blue company uniform, stopped by the church to pay his respects in between jobs.
“Just before I came here, I shut off three people’s electricity,” he quipped.
So Philadelphia. If you see a smiling middle-aged man dressed in dark work clothes walking up to your home, don’t try to avoid the inevitable. He will find your switches and cut of your lights. And if you place a dead animal or another obtrusive item near your electric box, Cyrus will photograph it, move it out the way, cut off your power, then show off his pictures to his friends on his website.
You have been warned Philadelphia. You have been warned.