HONOLULU -- A freak accident on Wednesday night killed a pedestrian along Kapiolani Boulevard. He was apparently electrocuted as he stood on the sidewalk by a city streetlight, officials said.

The city offered condolences to the man's family and had crews double-check other streetlights in the area.

The incident happened at a light pole near the corner of Kapiolani Boulevard and University Avenue at about 9:30 p.m.

Michael Perron Jr., 42, of Honolulu, was electrocuted as he stood on a metal junction box and leaned on a city light pole.

Other pedestrians in the area on Thursday could not believe what happened.

The insulation on one of the lines in this city streetlight junction box had worn away, exposing an electrical wire, sources told KITV. The box is so old it still said "Honolulu TH," meaning it was installed when the islands were the Territory of Hawaii, before it became a state in 1959.

When the man touched the metal light pole, an electrical current ran through his body, killing him, sources said.

The streetlight where the fatal accident happened is just a few steps away from a bus stop on busy Kapiolani Boulevard.

"If it happened here, it could happen anywhere on the island," University Avenue resident Tim Prindable said.

City electricians spent the morning rewrapping electrical wiring on nearby streetlights, putting on new black insulation tape.

The city said its Department of Facility Maintenance, which is responsible for city streetlights, is investigating the incident.

The victim's body did not have a clear "exit wound," where the electricity would have left his body, sources said. The medical examiner's office is still working to determine a cause of death.