Mechanic crushed to death at Harrisburg auto repair shop

A 63-year-old man was killed Thursday while working on a vehicle inside his Harrisburg auto repair shop.

The incident that killed Ali Adamou was reported at about 11:30 a.m. at A-1 Auto Repair in the 2700 block of North 6th Street.

Adamou and another employee were under the vehicle, which had been hoisted on a lift, according to neighbors.

They said one employee was holding a flashlight while Ali was working on the vehicle.

The neighbors told PennLive the lift gave out, which caused the vehicle to drop while Adamou was under it. Harrisburg Police Lt. Kyle Gautsch confirmed the vehicle fell from the lift and said OSHA was informed of the death for a workplace investigation.

There was no evidence of any criminal acts, Gautsch said.

Harrisburg police vehicles were seen parked outside the garage most of Thursday afternoon. Around 2:15 p.m., police tape was seen wrapped outside around the front of the shop’s garage door.

Many community members and customers who said they loved Adamou gathered at the Las Mercedes Mini Market next door to the auto shop in tears and disbelief.

Adamou was well known by residents near Sixth and Divisions streets. They fondly called him “Mechanic Ali,” a nod to boxer Muhammad Ali. They described him as selfless and caring.

“He has been a strong member of this community for a long time,” said Harrisburg resident Amy Bangura. “I can’t believe this tragic accident. He was a father figure to us around here.”

Luis Jimenez was working at the Las Mercedes Mini Market next door when the employee who was holding the flashlight frantically rushed to the market asking for help after the lift collapsed.

“He was in shock. He could barely talk,” Jiminez said. “He just kept saying, ‘He’s dead. He’s dead.‘”

Jiminez rushed over and tried to rescue Amadou. He helped pull his body from under the vehicle using a car jack, but Adamou was not breathing.

Dirt covered Jiminez’s pants as he spoke to PennLive on Thursday, evidence of the rescue attempt.

Residents said Adamou was from Niger, and moved to Harrisburg in 2007 to become a mechanic. He spoke several languages, they said, including Spanish, French and English. His wife had died. Adamou leaves behind several children.

“He was a good person, and I mean that,” Jimenez said. “He was just always happy to take care of people.”

Fausto Tejada, owner of the Las Mercedes Mini Market, said he was the “greatest person that came into the community.”

“Everybody loved him and always wanted to make sure he was OK,” Tejada said. “I’m going to miss having him around. We hardly sell coffee here, but we always have to have it just for him every morning.

“I never met anyone like him,” he said. “No matter what you said to him, he was always the bigger man. He would always walk away and smile.”