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On Jan. 2 at 5:07 p.m., police responded to the Hertz Corp. for an activated fire alarm.
Upon arrival, they spoke to an employee who let police into the building.
As they entered, police received a 911 call that an employee was trapped in his truck in the parking deck.
A plaster ceiling collapsed in the loading area, falling on top of a FedEx truck as the driver was unloading packages.
The driver was not in the truck at the moment of the collapse. The driver said he was not injured. The fire department was requested to respond.
As part of standard protocols, a specialized unit for people trapped in concealed spaces operated by the Hackensack Fire Department was requested to respond.
Other responding agencies included the Montvale and Woodcliff Lake Fire Departments. Park Ridge Electric was also on the scene.
There was no evidence of anyone else trapped.
The borough’s construction code official arrived on scene, along with building management.
Investigation showed that a pipe over the garage/loading dock area burst, weakening the ceiling from all the water and cold temperatures.
The building code official flagged the building, calling for it to be repaired before it can be occupied again.
“It was very fortunate that the driver was not injured. It could have been a lot worse,” said Park Ridge Capt. Joseph Rampolla. “It was a very heavy ceiling and if someone was under that they could have definitely been crushed.”
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Editor’s note: This section is based on facts provided to Pascack Press weekly by neighborhood police departments. Due to pending court appearances and other variations, the following information should be read in “press time” context.