A tragic incident at the Spinnaker Condominium Complex in Jersey Shore resulted in the death of a construction worker who was pinned under a five-ton concrete slab for seven hours.
Jose Pereira, 43, of Philadelphia, who worked for Ferguson Constructing Inc. in Pennsylvania, was working on the exterior of the building around 2:30 p.m. on Friday when the eighth-floor balcony attached to Unit 712, weighing around 11,000 pounds, collapsed onto the seventh floor. Witnesses heard cries for help and screaming after the collapse.
Despite the police’s rescue efforts, Jose remained pinned under the slab due to the building’s “significant cracks,” which made it unsafe. Residents of the condominium were evacuated, and private engineers will conduct inspections on the building.
Authorities stabilized the seventh-floor balcony and used heavy life airbags to lift the slab and pull Jose out from under it. He was pronounced dead around 10 p.m. by a Cape May forensic nurse.
Eric Hupperich, a witness, described feeling the collapse “through our bodies” and hearing a loud boom. Joye Fiocchi, another witness, called 911 after hearing people screaming for help, including Jose, who was heard saying “get it off of me” before becoming silent. Two other contractors sustained minor injuries during the incident.
The police are currently investigating the incident, and residents are not allowed back in the building until all the balconies on the south tower are reinforced.
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