UPPER WEST SIDE — A construction worker fell to his death Thursday while working on the roof of an Upper West Side church, which was being used as rehearsal space for the Rockettes, according to fire officials and witnesses.
The man was working in an "attic-like space" at St. Paul the Apostle church, located at 13 West 60th St. near Columbus Avenue, when he fell at 9.30 a.m..
He plunged 125 feet into the center aisle of the church, said Deputy Fire Chief Anthony Devita.
"There was one man inside the church praying," when he fell, said the church's pastor, Gilbert Martinez.
"We just heard a big bang," recalled David Foster, 54, a stage manager for the Radio City Christmas Spectacular show, which was rehearsing in the basement.
"It was loud enough for us all to hear it."
The man who fell had been working on repairing the church's ceiling for the past two years, Martinez said.
"I say hi to him all the time," he said. "We are very sad, obviously."
Devita said officials were investigating the cause of the fall, noting that there had been "reports of an electrical problem."
The construction worker, believed to be in his early 30's, had not yet been identified Thursday afternoon.
