Baristanet has heard unconfirmed reports from several sources that a person, possibly a worker, fell off the roof of a Montclair high-rise apartment complex early this morning.
The apparent accident occurred at Bellaire Apartments, 530 Valley Road, around 8 am. When we visited the scene at 9:30 am, several police officers and a medical examiner were there. There were people in tears in front of the nearby shops on Valley Road. A Catholic priest was also at the scene speaking to police. We are awaiting confirmation from the Montclair Police Department and will update as we receive more information.
Update: We’ve just seen confirmation on NJ.com about this tragedy.
A worker repairing a roof atop the Bellaire House, a condominium complex on the edge of the Upper Montclair shopping district, fell seven stories to his death today, police said.
The worker, whose name and employer were not available, fell about 8:15 a.m. to the sidewalk area near the back of the complex at 530 Valley Road, near the A&P supermarket.
“From what we know at this time, he was working near the edge and fell over to his death,” said Police Chief David Sabagh.
The victim was among a group of four working with roofing materials atop the high-rise, police said.
It seemed that almost every police car in town was headed north on Valley Road between 8 and 8:10 a.m. with lights and sirens flashing, as fast as they could drive. (I say ‘almost’ because there was one guy giving out a ticket to a driver near the Watchung Station).