HACKENSACK, N.J. – A 25-year-old woman is hospitalized with serious injuries after falling 10 stories down a trash chute at a New Jersey high-rise Sunday, with police saying drugs and alcohol were factors in the incident.
Hackensack police say the woman was under the influence when she climbed into the 14th-floor garbage chute at a Main Street building around 1 p.m. Witnesses reported hearing her scream as she plummeted several floors before trash packed inside the chute slowed her descent, leaving her stuck near the third and fourth floors.
The mounds of garbage that broke her fall also complicated the rescue effort. Firefighters determined the only way to reach her was to break through the surrounding walls and cut directly into the metal chute. Crews cleared out large amounts of garbage before finally pulling the woman out feet first. One firefighter sustained cuts from the jagged metal left behind after the chute was cut open.
The woman had been visiting someone in the building, and witnesses say it was clear she was intoxicated at the time. Officials say the garbage bags likely saved her life by cushioning the impact.
As of Monday, she remains hospitalized with significant injuries to her lower body.