Welder working on Ferris wheel dies in fatal fall from lift, New Jersey officials say

A welder working at a popular beach boardwalk’s amusement park died after falling from a lift, officials in New Jersey said.

He was working on the Ferris wheel at Gillian’s Wonderland Pier on the Ocean City boardwalk on Monday, May 2, when he fell, NBC Philadelphia and other outlets reported.

Robert W. Sanger, 62, of Pittsgrove, was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital, an Ocean City news release said. It was confirmed he “died of his injuries” after EMTs responded to his fall.

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family,” Jay A. Gillian, city mayor and president of the pier, said in a statement shared to the pier’s Facebook page. “We are cooperating with all appropriate authorities to thoroughly investigate the cause of this tragic accident.”

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating his death, the city’s news release said.

Sanger worked for Cargo Tech International in Swedesboro.

The beach town’s boardwalk Ferris wheel is locally called the “Giant Wheel” and is 144 feet, Philly Voice reported.

Ocean City is roughly 90 miles southeast of Trenton.

Julia Marnin

McClatchy DC

Julia Marnin covers courts for McClatchy News, writing about criminal and civil affairs, including cases involving policing, corrections, civil liberties, fraud, and abuses of power. As a reporter on McClatchy’s National Real-Time Team, she’s also covered the COVID-19 pandemic and a variety of other topics since joining in 2021, following a fellowship with Newsweek. Born in Biloxi, Mississippi, she was raised in South Jersey and is now based in New York State.