Update: 8th-floor Balcony at Sea Isle City, NJ, Condo High-rise Collapses; 1 Killed
UPDATE 12:30 PM: WPVI-TV reports one person was killed in the collapse.
The victim has been identified as 43-year-old Jose Pereira of Philadelphia. He was pronounced dead when recovered just before 10:00 Friday night. Pereira was working for Ferguson Contracting Inc. of Yardley, PA.
UPDATE 10 AM Saturday: WPVI-TV reports a worker is feared dead after becoming trapped when an 8th-floor balcony collapsed onto the balcony below it.
Capt. Matt Johnson with Cape May County Urban Search and Rescue told the station,
We are going to take our time with this. There is a lot of mathematics involved. We have engineers looking at the building right now, and we determined a plan of action. We'll go in, we'll do some stabilization for the building and then we'll bring a crane to remove the slab off the top of the victim.
UPDATE 7:30 PM Friday: WTXF-TV reports a rescue operation is now a recovery operation for a worker trapped under a concrete balcony.
Officer Jim McQuillen from the Sea Isle City Police Department said two construction workers were on the 8th floor when the balcony collapsed onto a worker on the 7th floor.
Our original report continues below.
An 8th-floor balcony at a condo complex in Sea Isle City collapsed Friday afternoon.
WCAU-TV reports that balcony crashed onto a balcony on the floor below it at the Spinnaker Condominiums, located in the area of 36th and the Promenade / Boardwalk, just after 2 PM.
Several businesses operate on the lower floor of the Spinnaker complex and at least one restaurant reports it is closed until further notice.
The Press of Atlantic City reported one tenant heard a loud "bang," and then police started evacuating the building.
Residents in the area say they heard the slamming balcony followed by a man screaming for help.
According to its website, the Spinnaker complex dates back to the 1970s. Construction on the south tower began in 1972 with the north tower following.
