Authorities say two workers were electrically shocked at a townhouse construction site in Middlesex County, leaving one dead and the other critically injured.
A third worker suffered burns in the accident, which occurred around 8 a.m. Friday in Woodbridge. But those injuries are not considered life-threatening.
Authorities say the workers were part of a crew that was building scaffolding.
A worker on the roof was holding a scaffolding pole secured by rope but lost control of it as two other workers on the ground attempted to guide the pole into place. It then touched a high-tension wire.
The man who died and the two injured workers were all on the ground. The worker on the roof wasn't hurt.
Witnesses tell News 12 New Jersey that they saw first responders attempting to revive the workers, while others looked on.
“They were all looking upset, his co-workers, and they were saying, ‘Please, God will be with you,’” a witness says.
A woman named Maria who lives across the street told News 12 that she has had concerns about safety at the site.
“I’ve always been worried since Day 1,” she says. “There’s no safety net. There’s nothing covering all this construction stuff that they have laying on the ground.”
The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration will investigate the accident.
The Associated Press wire services contributed to this report.