Construction boss charged with manslaughter for worker death
By Emily Saul
June 6, 2016 | 7:01pm
A construction company owner faces manslaughter and other charges in the death of an employee who fell six stories to his death at a Coney Island construction site last year.
Salvatore Schirripa, 66, was indicted for failing to adhere to safety regulations at the 360 Neptune Ave. work site that could have saved the life of hardhat Vidal Sanchez Ramon.
Ramon was pouring and smoothing concrete on the sixth floor of the commercial building last April when he toppled off the edge of the structure.
The 50-year-old was an undocumented immigrant who was sending money home to his wife and children in Mexico.
A red-eyed Schirripa pleaded “not guilty” to a slew of charges in front of Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun Monday, including second-degree manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, reckless endangerment, falsifying business records and violation of the worker’s compensation law.
‘A hardworking man died tragically and unnecessarily because proper safety measures were not taken to protect his life.’ - Brooklyn DA Ken Thompson
The city Building Code requires that workers wear harnesses and that elevated work sites are outfitted with a protective fence, which was not the case at 360 Neptune, authorities said.
Schirripa had previously been served with four notices for violations from Sept. 2011 to Aug. 2014, ordering he provide guardrails and handrail systems to protect workers from falls.
While guardrails had been installed at the site, they were three feet from the edge, leaving unprotected work space between the rail and the edge, and requiring workers to step over the fence, without harnesses, to pour concrete.
Schirripa also neglected to obtain workers’ compensation insurance or to contribute to an unemployment insurance fund for employees of his J&M Corp.–going so far as to submit a false certificate of coverage to the NYC DOB, authorities said.
His contacting companies, J&M Metro General Contracting Corp, and Metrotech Development Development Corp, were also named in the indictment.
“A hardworking man died tragically and unnecessarily because proper safety measures were not taken to protect his life,” Brooklyn DA Ken Thompson said in a statement. “As buildings go up all over Brooklyn, we owe it to every construction worker to make sure that they don’t lose their lives due to short cuts on safety.”
Schirripa posted $35G bail immediately Monday and rushed from court with a cap pulled low over his head. He was accompanied by his son and attorney, who declined comment.
He’s expected back in court Sept. 7, and faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted.