A 21-year-old employee at Voeller Mixers Inc., 455 N. Moore Road, died Thursday when a crane he had been working near touched a high-voltage electric line, Port Washington police said.

Buy a link hereOzaukee County Coroner John Holicek identified the man as Travis Tappa of Port Washington.

An autopsy will be conducted today to determine the cause of death.

The crane was attempting to lift a concrete mixer at the south end of a parking lot when it came in contact with a power line carrying 4,800 volts of electricity, said Brian Manthey, a We Energies spokesman. By comparison, the electric lines coming into homes carry about 120 volts. The power line was 30 to 35 feet off the ground, Manthey said. Tappa was on the mixer that was to be moved by the crane, said police Capt. Michael Keller.

Denise Tappa said her son had worked at Voeller since February 2005 as a painter, and "he did whatever they needed to do."

He graduated from Port Washington High School in 2005 and was active in the Port Summer Theater. He had roles in a number of plays, including "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying," "West Side Story" and "Li'l Abner."

"He was just a kind, sweet, wonderful young man," said Diana Neumeyer, current director of Port Summer Theater.

"He was just a joy to act with."

Travis comes from a very large, close-knit family, said Bonnie Steele, a former director of Port Summer Theater who worked with Travis.

"He had quite a sense of humor. He was quite a character," Steele said.

Kevin Tappa, Tappa's father, also works at Voeller as a welder and a machinist. The Tappas also have a daughter, Tanya, 24.

"He always thought of everyone before himself," Denise Tappa said about her son. "If there was a tragedy, he always said he'd rather that it be him than someone else."

No Voeller officials were available Thursday to comment. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating.