Philadelphia man killed in construction accident at the Shore

A Philadelphia man working for a Bucks County contracting company was killed Friday when a balcony collapsed at a condominium complex in Sea Isle City, police said Saturday.

Jose Pereira, 43, was declared dead after a prolonged rescue and recovery effort Friday afternoon and night at the Spinnaker, located at 3500-3700 Boardwalk, Sea Isle City Police Chief Anthony J. Garreffi Jr. said in a statement.

The incident is under investigation by Sea Isle City police detectives with assistance from the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

According to police, Pereira was working on the exterior of the Spinnaker’s south tower shortly before 2:30 p.m. when an eighth-floor balcony on the tower’s north side collapsed onto a seventh-floor balcony, pinning Pereira under a 30-foot-long concrete slab.

Significant cracks in the surrounding area and a slope to the balcony rendered that side of the building unsafe, thwarting an initial attempt by police, fire, and other emergency response personnel to reach Pereira, police said.

The Spinnaker was evacuated and additional rescue personnel and equipment were brought in. A recovery plan was developed involving first stabilizing the seventh-floor balcony from underneath and then cutting through 12 inches of reinforced concrete wall near Pereira, police said.

Once an opening was cut, the concrete slab that had fallen on Pereira was hoisted by heavy-lift air bags. A Cape May County forensic nurse pronounced Pereira dead at 9:52 p.m., police said.

Pereira was employed by Ferguson Contracting Inc., based in Yardley, police said. Messages left with the company were not returned Saturday.

Pereira’s family members also could not be reached for comment. His last known address was in Northeast Philadelphia, according to voter registration records.

All decks on the exterior of the Spinnaker’s south tower near the collapse are being stabilized, police said. Once the building is considered safe, private engineers will conduct further evaluations on both Spinnaker towers, police said.

Assisting in the recovery effort Friday night were the Cape May County and Camden County Regional Urban Search and Rescue Teams, along with Strathmere, Ocean City, Marmora, Stone Harbor, and Wildwood Fire Departments. Also responding were the Cape May County Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosive Weapons coordinator, the Cape May County Emergency Medical coordinator, and Cape May County Communications.

Staff writer Ryan W. Briggs contributed to this article.