FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Some people in South Florida had to get creative to watch the Super Bowl Sunday when a neighborhood suddenly lost power, and it seems this may have been intentional.
“About 30 to 40 minutes before the Super Bowl started, it just went all the way out,” Bubba James told Local 10 News.
James was one of several Fort Lauderdale residents who was forced to find another way to watch the big game after losing power.
“I see the trucks and everything, but nobody told me what happened,” James said.
Crews from Florida Power & Light worked well into the night after the outage knocked out power to several homes near Thurgood Marshall Elementary School.
But it’s how that power outage took place that has some neighbors scratching their heads.
A Local 10 viewer sent us a photo and cellphone video showing a man who they say randomly started operating an excavator that was parked on the street for another project.
At one point, they say the stranger knocked the machine into power lines along Northwest 13th Street before eventually hopping out and riding away on a bicycle.
Video allegedly shows that same man leaving the scene soon after.
Witnesses said police were called but so far, officers have yet to confirm the details as to what happened.
FPL released little information about the outage that knocked out power to more than 100 homes.
“I’m mad,” one kid said. “Because I can’t watch no Super Bowl.”
James said the power was back on by the second half of the game.
“Go Brady!” he said.