A worker at the American Dream mall was killed while operating a utility vehicle on Wednesday, authorities said, marking the second worker death at the site of the mall.

Eric Papenfuhs, 37, of Hampton in Hunterdon County, was operating a Bobcat utility vehicle when he struck a parked flatbed trailer at about 2:15 p.m., state police said in a statement. Papenfuhs was taken to Hackensack University Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, the statement said.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the fatality, the Department of Labor said Thursday.

The worker was employed by Sentinel Systems LLC of Hewitt, which does not have any history of previous OSHA investigations, an OSHA spokesperson said.

OSHA is allotted six months to release the findings of its investigations, and declined to comment further.

The owner of Sentinel Systems declined to comment. The company does waterproofing, structural repair, moisture mitigation and floor coating.

In 2007, a Pennsylvania man working on the site — which was named Xanadu at the time — was killed when a 32-pound piece of metal fell on his head from a retaining wall, from a height of about 20 feet.

An American Dream spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment about Wednesday's incident.

The investigation comes 15 days before the scheduled opening date of Oct. 25, launching the first of four "chapters."

Once fully open, the center will feature hundreds of stores and eateries and more than 15 entertainment options. It will have the Dining Terrace, an area with more than 15 full-service restaurants; a Munchie's Food Hall; Freds at Barneys New York; a kosher food court; Coca-Cola Eats, and more.

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Staff Writers Melanie Anzidei and Keldy Ortiz contributed to this article.

Anthony Zurita is a breaking news reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to all the major news happening in North Jersey, subscribe here. To get breaking news directly to your inbox, sign up for our newsletter.

Email: zuritaa@northjersey.com Twitter: @AnthonyRZurita