Hillsborough work site death: OSHA says NJ contractor has history of safety fines

🚧 Work site death reported in Somerset County

🚧 Man whose death involved heavy machinery was from Ocean County

🚧 OSHA is investigating, as one of the companies has a history of violations

HILLSBOROUGH — Investigators were called to the scene of a worksite death on Wednesday, involving a contractor company that has a history of potential safety violations.

Around 7:27 a.m., a 911 call reported an accident involving heavy machinery on Willow Road in Hillsborough, according to Somerset County Prosecutor John McDonald.

Responding Hillsborough police officers found a 62-year-old man from Ocean County dead at the scene — with injuries so bad that responders could not administer “life-saving measures.”

The regional medical examiner would determine cause and manner of death — and the man’s name was being withheld, pending family notification.

Township police detectives were joined by members of the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes and Crime Scene Investigation Units — as well as a federal officer with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

OSHA confirmed to New Jersey 101.5 that the companies involved were Mercer General Works and JA Neary Excavating — a contractor that has a history of violations.

In 2018, JA Neary Excavating was issued several fines for repeat violations of “Specific Excavation Requirements.”

The company settled, paying more than $11,000 and the case was closed.

Anyone with information relating to this investigation was asked to contact the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office Major Crimes Unit at 908-231-7100 or the Hillsborough Township Police Department at 908-369-4323.

Information can also be submitted anonymously through the Somerset County Crime Stoppers’ Tip Line at 1-888-577-TIPS (8477) — or via the STOPit app on a smartphone.

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