Crime Blotter
Pennsylvania Teen Dies After Falling Through Store Roof
Tragic incident at local supermarket remains under investigation
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, 790 fatalities were recorded in 2022 from people falling through roofs. Three of the seven fatalities caused by falls through skylights occurred between May 2022 and February 2023.
— Photo courtesy of the Reading Eagle
Earlier this week, authorities said a teenager died from injuries sustained after falling through the roof of a local supermarket in the small community of Exeter, Penn., population 25,000, which is about seven miles east of Reading and 117 miles north of Philadelphia.
The close-knit community, home to the famous American frontiersman Daniel Boone, is reeling after authorities said the teen, who was not identified, fell through the roof of a Giant supermarket on Perkiomen Ave., around 1 a.m. on Monday, October 9.
According to police, a group of juveniles gained access to the store's roof through an adjacent fire escape when the boy fell through a skylight and landed on the ground inside the store. Overnight employees working at the store immediately called 911.
Investigators said they were unsure what the group was doing on the roof or their intentions. The 17-year-old was pronounced dead a short time later.
The investigation remains open.
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Bryan Gottlieb is the online editor at Engineering News-Record (ENR).
Gottlieb is a five-time Society of Professional Journalists Excellence in Journalism award winner with more than a decade of experience covering business, construction, and community issues. He has worked at Adweek, managed a community newsroom in Santa Monica, Calif., and reported on finance, law, and real estate for the San Diego Daily Transcript. He later served as editor-in-chief of the Detroit Metro Times and was managing editor at Roofing Contractor, where he helped shape national industry coverage.
Gottlieb covers breaking news, large-scale infrastructure projects, new products and business.
email gottliebb@enr.com | office: (248) 786-1591
