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Trench rescue

Man rescued from 10-foot trench at excavation site in East Rutherford

First responders from multiple agencies responded.

Toniann Antonelli

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Aug 2, 2026, 3:35 PM

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Updated

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First responders from multiple towns worked together to pull a man from a 10-foot-deep trench after it collapsed Friday evening in East Rutherford.

Crews from the East Rutherford Fire Department were dispatched to the excavation site on Hoboken Road at about 5:16 p.m. following reports of a worker who had become trapped in a trench. The trench was located within the excavation site, making it difficult to gain access to the victim, the fire department said in a statement on Facebook.

As a result, Fire Chief Kevin Felton requested assistance from the UASI Urban Search and Rescue Metro Strike Team. Members of the team, based in Paterson, responded and worked to stabilize the trench in order to minimize the risk of another collapse. According to the Paterson Fire Department, crews then managed to dig out the trapped worker by hand about an hour and 45 minutes later.

The worker was taken to the hospital for evaluation.

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