NEW MILFORD, N.J. — A bench from a folding table attached to a wall collapsed at a school during a recreational soccer practice, killing a 7-year-old boy preparing for his season opener, officials said.
Brendan Jordan, a student at Gibbs Elementary School in New Milford, was attending an indoor recreation soccer program at the town’s Berkley Street Elementary School on Wednesday night when he came near a fold-down table and benches stored in the wall.
A 108-pound wood and steel bench fell and struck the child, Detective Lt. Frank Ramaci said in a news release. It’s not yet known whether the boy touched the table or bench.
School Superintendent Michael Polizzi told The Record newspaper that the table folds vertically into the wall. It is secured with a key. Polizzi said he didn’t know if it had been properly locked.
