Man dies after being pinned inside car wash in Southern California

A man was killed at a Southern California car wash after he got out of his vehicle and was pinned against the car and machinery, local authorities said. 

The accident occurred Friday night at a self-service car wash in Escondido, about 25 miles north of San Diego. 

The Escondido Police Department said in a news release that an unidentified 56-year-old man drove his 2014 Scion XB into the car wash and tried to exit the vehicle "for an unknown reason."

"The vehicle then rolled forward, pinning the man between the car and the machinery," the release said. 

Police said the car wash was not activated at the time. Police told NBC San Diego the accident triggered an alarm that caught the attention of bystanders who then alerted authorities. 

Officers were able to free the man and performed CPR. He was taken to a local hospital, where he died, police said. 

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Lt. Scott Walters told Fox San Diego that in his 30 years with the department, "this is the first time I’ve seen anything like this, ever."

"It’s tragic and our thoughts and prayers go out to the family, but it’s just a terrible thing that happened. There’s no reason for it – it’s just one of those odd things." 

Follow Jordan Mendoza on Twitter: @jordan_mendoza5.