Man Was Buried For 30 Minutes Under Dirt Pile At Bridgewater Quarry: PD

BRIDGEWATER, NJ — A man trapped underneath a large dirt pile says he was buried for about 30 minutes before being freed at Stavola Quarry in Bridgewater, according to the police report.

A police report on Tuesday revealed more insight on what happened last week after officials spoke with a Stavola Quarry employee and the victim Mena Cordoves.

On Feb. 13 at around 10:48 a.m., Bridgewater Police Officers were called to the Quarry off Chimney Rock Road for a report of a man buried under a dirt pile, and no one was able to see him.

An employee at the Quarry Aaron Rodriguez said while he was working he realized there was a line of trucks forming near one of the piles, which was unusual.

Rodriguez said he saw a dump truck near a pile with no driver in sight.

"He approached the dump truck near the pile and heard yelling coming from the dirt pile. He also saw a hand sticking out of the dirt pile," said police.

Rodriguez alerted his boss and other quarry staff who began digging to get Cordoves out.

Cordoves, the 29-year-old male victim, said he works for Double O Contracting and was picking up a load from Stavola's Quarry at around 9 a.m.

After receiving the load, Cordoves said he was informed he was over the maximum weight allowed.

He went back to the pile and began manually emptying the dump truck. He was standing behind the truck next to the pile and unloading the material with a shovel back to the pile.

Cordoves said that as he was doing this, the pile began to collapse, and he was fully trapped from head to toe under the dirt.

He said he was able to free one of his hands and yell for help.

"He believes he was trapped for approximately 30 minutes," said police.

When officers arrived, Cordoves was partially buried from the waist down and Stavola's Quarry workers were actively digging the man out from the dirt pile.

Martinsville Fire Department, Green Knoll Rescue Squad, and Martinsville Rescue Squad arrived to help.

After being removed from the dirt, Cordoves was alert and conscious and taken to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset.

Police notified the Occupational Safety and Health Administration(OSHA) of the incident.

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