A Minnesota man stands accused of killing his younger co-worker while the two were trimming trees Thursday, and reportedly told authorities they were fooling around with heavy machinery when it happened.
Court documents revealed that Christopher Boone Crimmins, 34, has been charged with one felony count of second-degree manslaughter, according to KMSP-TV.
Police discovered the victim, identified by NBC News as Tyler Anthony Lynch, 26, in a puddle of blood with “significant” trauma to his head.
Authorities declared him dead at the scene.
Crimmins explained that he and the victim worked together and had arrived a few hours earlier from a previous job.
He also said he was the only one with a commercial driver’s license and that he alone could operate the hydraulic grapple, located on the back of a truck.
Crimmins added that he was unaware of any potential mechanical issues or failures in the machinery before Lynch was killed.
He allegedly told law enforcement that he and the victim were “f***ing” around while he was operating the grapple after they noticed “the sunlight was casting shadows of both the grapple and of the victim on the street.”
As Crimmins used the shadows to cast humorous images onto the pavement, he failed to notice the grapple was headed straight for the victim. Crimmins then closed the grapple, crushing his co-worker’s head in the process.
Authorities alleged that Crimmins was negligent in his actions and therefore responsible for his co-worker’s death, saying he created an “unreasonable risk” and “consciously takes chances of causing death or great bodily harm to another,” Fox News reported.
There was also an eyewitness who saw the incident play out at the scene and said the grapple “hit” or pinched the victim’s head.
Tree-trimmer charged with killing co-worker by crushing head with hydraulic grapple while ‘f-king around’ on job https://t.co/O2OhJdz55u pic.twitter.com/Kq9DqSTbEX
— New York Post (@nypost) August 24, 2026
Crimmins, who is facing up to 10 years in prison if convicted, was ultimately arrested and is currently in the Dakota County Jail.
His first court appearance was on Friday afternoon, where his bail was set at $40,000 without conditions and $20,000 with conditions.
A second hearing is currently scheduled for Sept. 10, as Crimmins remains innocent until proven guilty.
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