PITTSBURGH -- A construction worker who played on South Park High School's 1997 state championship football team died after getting tangled in a winch and going into cardiac arrest on a job in Pittsburgh's Oakland neighborhood.
Mark Bellisario, 26, of Baldwin Borough, was found on the roof of a building under construction on Technology Drive near the Hot Metal Bridge around 8:30 a.m. Monday.
Paramedics were called to perform CPR on the man, who was taken to UPMC Mercy and died less than an hour later.
Pittsburgh police said he was operating a winch when his clothing got tangled in the cables and he got pinned against the machine.
The official cause of death is not yet known. An autopsy will be done later Monday.
"I've been coaching for a while, and this is really the first young man I've had an opportunity to coach that's passed away," said South Park football coach Tom Loughran. "I've lost some assistant coaches, but it's none too easy to lose a member of your family you love."
Bellisario, who recently got married, was "always smiling, always looking to make other people happy. Totally selfless," said South Park assistant principal Rich Dziubek.
Bellisario was working for Scalise Industries, based in Lawrence, Pa.
"At this time our hearts and prayers go out to the family of Mark Bellisario. It's a somber day for us all," Scalise said in a statement. "We are investigating the incident and cooperating with authorities to determine what has occurred. At this point in time, the authorities are not certain what caused the accident. Our hearts are heavy over the accident."
In addition to city police, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating.
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