Victim ID'd, Details Revealed In American Dream Worker Death

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - A 37-year-old Hunterdon County man was killed Wednesday after the Bobcat utility vehicle he was operating struck a parked flatbed tractor trailer on a parking deck at American Dream in the Meadowlands, according to New Jersey State Police.

Following the collision, which occurred around 2:15 p.m, Eric Papenfuhs, from Hampton, was taken to Hackensack Meridian Health Medical Center where he was pronounced dead, Sgt. Lawrence Peele said.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation and there is no additional information available at this time, Peele said.

The worker was employed by Sentinel Systems, a Hewitt-based company that specializes in waterproofing, structural repair and moisture mitigation, according to an OSHA spokesperson.

The agency has a total of six months to conduct an investigation into the incident and release its findings, according to the spokesperson. The spokesperson noted that Sentinel does not have any prior history of incidents with the agency.

Additional information surrounding the incident was not released.

The $5 billion mall about is two weeks away from its grand opening on Oct. 25.

This is a developing story. Patch will have more information as it comes in.