Three-year-old boy dies after falling into vat of cooking oil in New York

Authorities at the scene.
Authorities at the scene. Photo credit: Twitter/Jennifer Lewke

A three-year-old boy died on Monday (local time) after falling through a grease trap behind a fast food restaurant in upstate New York.

The child walked over the grease trap outside a Tim Hortons restaurant on University Ave in Rochester, New York. A grease trap resembles a manhole, and covers a vat where used cooking oil is deposited. 

The toddler fell through the trap, landing in the tank of oil.

The boy was pulled out and had CPR performed on him by first responders on the scene, 7News reports.

He was rushed to Strong Memorial Hospital but was pronounced dead at 12pm, an hour after he is thought to have fallen.

"Police tell me his mother couldn't find him and called police, by the time they got here a bystander had pulled the boy out and was trying to revive him," Jennifer Lewke, a reporter for Rochester's NBC affiliate News10NBC, tweeted.

"What occurred today was a tragedy and on behalf of the Tim Hortons family, we offer our deepest condolences to the family and friends of the young boy," the restaurant said in a statement to News10NBC.

Lewke tweeted that the emotional event had left many of the restaurant employees distraught.

The size and depth of the tank of oil is not yet known. 

The police investigation into the incident is ongoing.

Newshub.