Woman who survived 10-story fall down garbage chute ingested alcohol, narcotics
The incident happened around 1 p.m. at 150 Main St., when emergency dispatchers received a 911 call reporting that a woman had entered a trash chute on the building’s 14th floor and fallen to an unknown location.
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An unusual rescue unfolded Sunday afternoon in Hackensack after a woman fell multiple stories down a garbage chute inside a high-rise apartment building and survived.
The incident happened around 1 p.m. at 150 Main St., when emergency dispatchers received a 911 call reporting that a woman had entered a trash chute on the building’s 14th floor and fallen to an unknown location.
The Hackensack Fire Department’s Second Platoon responded to the scene and quickly realized the rescue would require specialized resources. Commanders issued an “all hands working” technical rescue assignment, bringing additional personnel from the fire department, the Hackensack Police Department, and emergency medical crews from Hackensack University Medical Center.
Initially, firefighters were unable to locate the woman. An investigation determined she had fallen to the area between the third and fourth floors, where she became trapped beneath backed-up trash inside the chute.
“The fire department determined that she was in an area inaccessible by the trash door, so we had to commence breaching to reach her,” said Hackensack Fire Chief Keith Rosazza.
Firefighters launched a complex rescue operation. While some crews prepared for the possibility of a rope rescue or wall breach, others used power saws to cut into the chute’s discharge section and remove debris. After roughly 30 minutes of work, crews were able to reach the woman and pull her out feet-first before turning her over to medical personnel for treatment.
The woman was transported to a hospital with injuries that have not been publicly disclosed.
Hackensack Police said an investigation indicates that the 25-year-old victim "ingested alcohol and a combination of narcotics prior to running out of an apartment and yelling in a manner at least one witness described as being in a state of 'paranoia.'"
The rescue also resulted in injuries to one firefighter, who suffered an arm injury during the operation and was taken to a hospital. Officials said extensive decontamination of personnel and equipment was required because of the conditions inside the chute.
Rosazza said the department had never encountered a rescue quite like this before.
“We’re used to unusual falls,” he said. “The fire department deals with a lot of situations that maybe don’t fit the norm of a rescue. A lot of the things we train for can be applied to multiple types of scenarios like this, with people trapped, so we go back to our training.”
Police continue to investigate how and why the woman entered the chute. Authorities have not released additional information about her condition.
