A 31-year-old Pine City man died after being caught in a hay baler on Thursday, July 24.

Jerrad Steven Wiener, of Pine City, was found to have been pulled into a large round hay baler shortly before 10 p.m. along 400th Street near Iris Avenue, according to a release from the North Branch Police Department.

North Branch Police Chief Stephen Forner said it appeared Wiener had tried to fix something inside the baler while performing farm work in a field. He said Wiener had placed a call to his wife, Steph Leach, telling her something was wrong with the piece of machinery. Wiener was working alone at the time of the incident.

Wiener’s tractor was still running when the man was discovered by his foster son, Cody, and cousin, Jacob. The two were there to pick up Wiener for the evening, Forner said.

Forner said police do not suspect foul play was involved in Wiener’s death.

“It was an accident,” Forner said.

However, he did say the likely culprit was a baler left running while being worked on. Because of this, he said to exercise caution when being around farm equipment. Balers work by collecting cut, dried grass and rolling it into a round using belts or rollers. They are hauled behind a tractor, and can produce bales weighing up to a ton.

“Don’t work around machinery without shutting it off,” Forner said. “Nothing slows them down.”

He also said he feels for Wiener’s family, and offered them his condolences.

Wiener and Leach own Stan’s Radiator Service, an outdoor equipment retailer and service center in Pine City. Wiener’s aunt, Hiedi Cornelius, said Wiener had recently gone into a new farming venture.