Man Trapped In Morris Co. Trench Released From Hospital: PD

PEQUANNOCK, NJ — A 61-year-old man trapped in a trench for three hours has already been released from the hospital, Pequannock Police Chief Brian Spring said.

The man, who has not been named, was working for a private contractor for Verizon Wireless doing work on a cell tower near the Pequannock Knights of Columbus when the trench collapsed on him around 9 a.m. Monday, Spring said.

Several rescue agencies were called in to help free the man, and the man was being medically treated the entire time he was in the trench, Spring said.

The man was freed around noon and was taken by air to St. Joseph’s Trauma Center in Paterson. He has since been released.

"Pequannock Township is extremely grateful for the quick and professional response from a number of specialized response agencies and their specialty equipment that allowed this rescue effort to be facilitated with no additional injury to the victim," Spring said.

Spring credited the multiagency teamwork with saving the man's life.

"This was a three-hour rescue operation facilitated and coordinated by a number of high-quality professionals who assisted in removing the victim from the trench. Had this operation not been handled in the manner in which it was, the outcome could have been significantly different," Spring said. "The patient was treated and ultimately able to be released from the hospital and that is a direct credit to the many agencies and first responders on scene [Monday]."

The following agencies responded on Monday:

• Atlantic Health Advanced Life Support (ALS) and Ambulance
• Atlantic Health Physician
• Cedar Knolls Fire Department
• Flemington Raritan Rescue Squad
• Hackensack Fire USAR Rescue and Lumber Truck
• Hanover Township DPW – VAC Truck
• Hoboken Fire USAR Rescue and Lumber Truck
• Madison Fire Department
• Morris County Emergency Medical Services
• Morris County Fire Coordinator
• Morris County Fire Mutual Aid Coordinators
• Morris County Office of Emergency Management
• Morris County Sheriff’s Department
• Morris County Special Operations Group
• Morris County Technical Rescue Team
• Morristown Fire Department/UASI
• New Jersey MD1 Program
• New Jersey State Police Urban Search and Rescue Task Force One
• NJ Division of Fire Safety
• North Hudson Regional Fire – USAR Rescue
• Patterson Fire USAR Rescue
• Pequannock Township DPW
• Pequannock Township Fire companies 1 & 2
• Pequannock Township OEM
• Wayne Fire Rescue 5