Steve Lieberman

slieberm@lohud.com

WEST NYACK – A 54-year-old developmentally disabled man on a day trip from a Rockland group home fell to his death Thursday morning from a third-floor escalator bank at the Palisades Center mall.

The man landed near the first-floor escalator entrance near Best Buy.

"As the investigation continues, preliminary evidence shows that this appears to have been a tragic accident," Clarkstown Police Officer Peter Walker said.

Walker, a department public information officer, said that the man was standing at the top of an up escalator when he somehow fell over the railing.

"We don't know how," he said. "We're still investigating."

Three group home residents and a staff member were visiting the mall as part of a habilitation trip, one of the ways agencies integrate developmentally disabled people into the community.

The Medical Examiner's Office pronounced the man dead at the scene.

Walker said the police were withholding the man's identity pending notification of his family. Police were also withholding the specific location of the group home, which is run by the Manhattan-based social services agency The New York Foundling.

The New York Foundling services developmentally disabled and troubled youth. It formerly ran the St. Agatha Home on Convent Street in Nanuet.

"We are deeply saddened by the loss of a beloved member of our community and extend our condolences to his family and loved ones," The New York Foundling said in a statement. "The safety of the individuals in our care is paramount and we are doing everything we can to help determine what led to this terrible accident.

"Grief counselors are being made available to our staff and clients to provide support during this difficult time," the agency added. "We are grateful to those who have reached out to offer their support and sympathy."

Jennifer O'Sullivan, a spokeswoman for the state Office for People With Developmental Disabilities, said in a statement that she could not comment on the incident.

"Due to the strict confidentiality laws that our agency must adhere to, we are unable to confirm or deny whether someone receives services from OPWDD or one of our provider agencies," she said.

The Palisades Center marketing director, Natalie Tronolone, directed questions to the Clarkstown police, calling the situation an "unfortunate accident."

Multiple 911 calls from upset shoppers and others at 10:20 a.m. alerted police to the incident, Walker said.

"It's horrifying for anyone who witnessed this, especially for the staff member and the other people" from the group home, Walker said.

Several shoppers reacted with sadness and horror when learned about the man's death, asking questions of police and security about how he fell. They received no answers.

John Murphy, a longtime advocate for people with disability and mental illness, said his heart sank when he heard "one of our population fell off the escalator." Murphy is a volunteer with Camp Venture, which paved the way for people with disabilities to live within the Rockland community.

Murphy said federal law mandates that all "people with special needs be given the maximum opportunity to integrate into the community at large."

"These folks are among God's most innocent creatures," he said. "Second, we work so hard to make the public appreciate the value of their lives. When we lose them it's a super, super loss."