Man found dead, pinned under car at auto repair shop

PITTSBURGH — A man was found dead, pinned under a car, at an auto repair shop Tuesday morning in Pittsburgh’s Overbrook neighborhood, police said.

Paul Tedesco, 39, who does not work at the shop on Library Road, was found shortly before 9:30 a.m. by an employee, police said.

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The vehicle was still resting on the man when police responded to the scene. Police don't know if he was able to cry out for help or how long he had been there.

According to an initial report, the man was working under the car when a mechanical support jack collapsed, police said.

Workers there told Channel 11 they believe he was trying to remove a catalytic converter when he was killed, a dangerous action someone had tried there before.

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Local automotive shops told Channel 11 they have plenty of customers who have had their catalytic converters stolen. With their valuable metals, converters can bring top dollar when sold as scrap. But unless you know what you are doing, removing it can be risky.

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"You have to crawl underneath the car while its jacked up to cut it off," said automotive tech John Paulis. "The car moves, and if you don't have the jack in the right place, boom, it's on the ground."

Anyone with information is asked to call homicide detectives at 412-323-7800.

Cox Media Group