Construction worker suffers 'major trauma' after 30-foot fall from roof

NEW JERSEY - Authorities say a worker at a New Jersey mall was seriously injured in a 30-foot fall from the roof over the weekend.

Roxbury police were dispatched to the Ledgewood Mall shortly after 1 p.m. Saturday after the man, a demolition-construction company worker, fell through an opening on the roof.

Colleagues at the scene identified the man as Jesus Garcia of New York City, reported TAP Roxbury.  The workers told the local news site that he was lifting a piece of metal on the roof and accidentally stepped into a 2-foot by 3-foot square hole left after an old air conditioning unit was removed.

Police spokeswoman Jen Dillard said the employee was airlifted to a hospital with “major trauma."

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which investigates workplace incidents, was notified.

The mall is being converted into the Shops at Ledgewood Commons, with some stores remaining open during construction and others slated to be demolished and rebuilt.