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Woman Rescued After Falling Down 14th-Floor Trash Chute in Hackensack

Police say drug and alcohol impairment was a factor in the fall.

Overview

  • The 25-year-old woman climbed into a 14th-floor trash chute and tumbled several stories on Sunday, coming to rest near the third or fourth floor where she became trapped in backed-up garbage.
  • Firefighters, police and EMS cut into the metal chute, removed panels with saws and pulled out piled trash to extricate her feet-first in an operation that took under 30 minutes.
  • The woman was taken to the hospital with significant lower-body injuries and remained hospitalized the following day, according to police and local reports.
  • At least one firefighter was treated and transported to the hospital after sustaining an arm injury and cuts from jagged metal during the rescue.
  • Officials say drugs and alcohol played a role in the incident and investigators are continuing to probe why she entered the chute and the full circumstances of the fall.