BKBrown, you were correct, but unfortunately it was a lot worse than the connection.
The wiring & connection got snagged into the clutch/pulley!!!! The mower stopped suddenly because the wiring getting tangled (short circuiting) blew the 20 amp blade fuse, and the clutch was ruined with wiring grinding into the assembly!!! I was no where near any shrubbery or trees when it happened.
I replaced the clutch (out two hundred plus bucks) but the big thing is I re-routed the wiring away from the belt area - Hey engineers at Toro - What were you thinking???!!! The mower is working fine now but I'm kind of ticked off at Toro engineers for routing the wiring so close to the belt/pulley/clutch.
The local Toro dealer just smiled when I picked up the brand new clutch, like he knew exactly what happened!!!!