OCEAN CITY — A subcontractor working on the Ferris wheel at Gillian’s Wonderland Pier fell from a lift Monday morning. He died of his injuries.
The man was identified as Robert W. Sanger, 62, of Pittsgrove, and was pronounced dead at Shore Medical Center, city officials announced Monday afternoon. He was an employee of Cargo Tech International of Swedesboro.
The fall is under investigation by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, according to city officials.
“We are saddened to report that an employee of a subcontractor working on a lift at Gillian’s Wonderland Pier suffered a fatal injury Monday morning,” Jay Gillian wrote in a letter posted on the amusement park’s Facebook page. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family.”
Gillian is the president of the amusement park as well as the mayor of Ocean City.
Ocean City Fire Department EMTs were called to the Boardwalk amusement park at 10:32 a.m. Monday, city spokesperson Doug Bergen said.
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It’s unclear how far the worker fell.
Investigators were on scene Monday morning, Bergen reported.
Gillian said the company is cooperating with “all appropriate authorities” to investigate the incident, and would release more information when it becomes available.
A separate posting to the Facebook page of Gillian’s reelection campaign, indicated “the mayor is suspending all campaign activity effective immediately,” and offered prayers for the family of the worker.
Gillian is running for reelection this year, with a vote set for May 10. He did not immediately respond to a request for further details on Monday.
By the early afternoon Monday, there was little sign anything had happened. The amusement park was shut, and there was no sign of work underway. A crew working on the Boardwalk said they had not heard anything about a fall.
From the Sixth Street entrance, lines of yellow caution tape could be seen near the Ferris wheel. It read “Crime Scene Do Not Cross.”
An Ocean City police officer was also at the scene, standing inside the park. He said he could not give any information.
There was a blue lift in front of the Ferris wheel, with the platform set at an angle. It could not be determined if it was the lift from which the worker fell. From a distance, it appeared to be at least 15 feet from the ground.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
