ur so fun and mysterious

the implication of the whole scene is that they're connecting the cn tower to the streetcar grid to then steal power for the rv via their giant fork. realistically the power outlet in the box is connected to the city grid not the streetcar grid but we will pretend getting it close enough helps the lightning jump obviously. we are just assuming that magically works similar to how we are ignoring the existence of breakers and fuses

two options:

-he's jammed the snippers into a regular power outlet (120V) (much more likely)

-the power outlet is somehow connected up to the 600V DC streetcar grid and it was only a matter of time that a city employee had a very bad day

Either way: two more options, he either put his finger on the metal of the snippers, and was immediately being shocked, or he is just holding the plastic as it heats and melts in his hand and expecting (accurately) that the lightning will blow past it

If he put his hand on the metal, interestingly im not sure if the resistance from the worlds longest extension cord would be more or less than the resistance from him to the ground nearby. either way he is getting shocked pretty badly as a conductor towards some sort of ground but if it does mostly head up the electrical wire then his heart is in the direct path

anyway there's a poetry in it either way. if he's actively getting electrocuted the instant he does it, then when jay sees him he is either dying or already dead, leaving his body behind to complete the job. he already made his choice. you dont always die if you stick a fork in a power outlet but its certainly not good for you. generally its the amps that kill you and i do think that'd be plenty of an issue here despite the low voltage. regardless, my original viewing of the movie originally had me thinking he was already dead, when jay saw him. already fully committed. nothing else to live for, in a world where jay would be undeniably apart from him.