Worker falls to death at NJ job site

🚨A man from The Bronx slipped as he handed a tool to a co-worker

🚨Police said his harness was not secured to an anchor post

🚨Two of the victim's cousins were working at the same location

LAKEWOOD — A man slipped and fell to his death from the third floor of a building under construction Friday morning.

Jorge O. Paltan-Ajila, 51, of The Bronx, was working at 1800 Avenue of the States around 7:30 a.m. As Paltan-Ajila handed a tool to a co-worker while standing on a boom lift, he stepped on an unsecured beam causing him to fall to the ground along with the beam, Lakewood police Capt. Gregory Staffordsmith said.

Paltan-Ajila suffered severe traumatic injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.

A U.S. Department of Labor spokeswoman told New Jersey 101.5 Paltan-Ajila  worked for a company called WMT, a subcontractor of Westside Windows. Neither company has a past OSHA inspection history. Westside Windows is a subcontractor of Keystone Developers, which OSHA inspected in December 2024 and no citations were issued.

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OSHA investigation

Staffordsmith said Paltan-Ajila was wearing a safety harness but it was not secured to an anchor post.

Staffordsmith said two of Paltan-Ajila's cousins were also working at the building located in the same area as Shoretown Ballpark, home of the Jersey Shore BlueClaws.

OSHA is investigating the incident. The agency has six months to complete its investigation and issue citations.

The Lakewood Scoop was first to report on the incident.

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