NJ Amazon Employee Death Wasn’t Work-Related, Company Says

CARTERET, NJ - The death of an Amazon employee at one of the company’s New Jersey fulfillment centers was not work-related, a company spokesman told Patch.

The employee, who has not been identified publicly by the company, was transported to an area hospital on Prime Day, Amazon’s annual blowout sale event.

“We’re deeply saddened by the passing of our colleague and offer our condolences to his family and friends. There have been rumors suggesting that his passing was work-related — those statements are false,” Amazon spokesperson Sam Stephenson told Patch in a Tuesday email. "Our internal investigation has shown that this was not a work-related incident, and instead was related to a personal medical condition."

Another worker at the facility told authorities that the employee who passed was experiencing chest pains the night before his Prime Day shift, Stephenson said, noting that the late worker didn't share that information with managers or colleagues on site.

The death, which occurred on July 12 at Amazon's EWR9 fulfillment center on Industrial Highway, was first reported by HuffPost reporter Dave Jamieson.

The death is currently under investigation by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's Avenel area office.

“Immediately after our employee collapsed, our onsite medical expert responded and began emergency treatment. In addition, 911 was immediately called and arrived at the site within 16 minutes of when the medical incident occurred,” Stephenson continued.

“We’re thankful for the quick actions of our own teams and the first responders. This has been a tragic situation for our employee’s family and for our colleagues at EWR9 who worked with him. We are in contact with his family to offer support and are providing counseling resources to employees needing additional care.”