Worker dies after falling at N.J. construction site - nj.com

A New York City man died at a construction site in Ocean County after an unsecured beam gave way on the third floor of a building and he fell off, according to police.

Jorge O. Paltan-Ajila, 51, of the Bronx, died at the construction site at 1600 Avenue of the States in Lakewood, township police Capt. Gregory Staffordsmith said.

Paltan-Ajila slipped and fell while working on the third floor, and he was pronounced dead at the scene, Staffordsmith said.

The victim had been working at the construction site with two cousins, police said.

Officials with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration were notified Friday morning of the fatal fall, police said. A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Labor confirmed the agency has begun investigating.

OSHA, which assess workplace-related deaths and injuries, has six months to complete its investigation, the spokesperson said.

The worker was employed WMT, a subcontractor of Westside Windows, which no past OSHA inspection history, federal labor officials said. Westside Windows is a subcontractor of Keystone Developers, which OSHA inspected in December 2024 and no citations were issued.

The worker was among a team hired to install windows on the building, officials said.

Around 7:41 a.m., Paltin-Ajila was working on the third floor when he slipped and fell while handing a set of tools to a worker on a broom lift, police said. He stepped on the unsecured beam, causing both he and the instrument to plunge.

Police did not say how many stories down the worker fell.

The victim was wearing a safety harness that was not anchored to the building, police said.

The construction site is adjacent to the parking lot for ShoreTown Ballpark, the home of Minor League Baseball’s Jersey Shore Blueclaws. The area has been the subject of redevelopment in recent years.

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Eric Conklin may be reached at [email protected].

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