Man Feared Dead In Bristol Twp. Collapse; Efforts To Find Body Underway

Anthony “Tony” Gabriele of Bristol Township remains missing as of late Thursday afternoon.

The 48-year-old man is presumed dead following the collapse of a large silo filled with dry concrete mix at the Riverside Industrial Complex in the 7900 block of North Radcliffe Street in Bristol Township. Officials said they presume he was buried in the collapse that was discovered by a police officer on patrol early Thursday morning.

Authorities said the search operation could take hours to days to complete.

Fire officials said the collapse dumped thousands of pounds of metal and cement mix onto the area around where the silo stood. As of Thursday evening, crews from the Bucks County Technical Rescue Task Force were using special equipment, including two large vacuum trucks, to help recover Gabriele. Bristol Township Fire Marshal and Emergency Management Director Kevin Dippolito told LevittownNow.com rescuers attempted to use pings from Gabriele’s cell phone to find him. Search and rescue K-9 units were also brought in to aid in the search.

“This is the most complicated technical rescue incident you could ever come across in the United States. This is a combination of a building collapse and what we call an ‘engulfment scenario’ where all these potentially hundreds of thousands of pounds of dry concrete rushed down like an avalanche and bury everything in its sight,” Dr. David Jaslow of the Bucks County Technical Rescue Task Force explained to 6abc.

Due to the large amount of concrete mix and debris, officials have said there is little chance Gabriele could have survived.

Edgely Fire Company Chief Carl Pierce said the operation was shifted from a rescue mission to recovery around 11 a.m. Thursday.

“We’re still holding out hope he’s alive but it’s unlikely,” Dippolito said.

Officials said they are nearly certain Gabriele was the only person at the facility when the collapse occurred.

“The accident must have happened before 12 o’clock last night when he was supposed to punch out. We didn’t find out nothing until the police came to his house at 3:30 this morning,” Gabrielle’s brother John told CBSPhilly.com.

The silo and Riverside Industrial Complex are owned by Silvi Group Companies. The company notes on their website that they operate a deep-water port along the Delaware River at the site.

Throughout the day, dump trucks and emergency vehicles trickled in and out of the gated property.

LevittownNow.com obtained recent copies of Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) safety inspections of the site and reviewed them.

According to records and and an OSHA spokesperson, the Riverside Construction Materials facility at the Riverside Industrial Complex was inspected in 2004 and the facility was found in compliance with regulations.

An inspection was also performed in 2012 following a complaint that alleged fall hazards and limited means of egress from a vessel.

“A citation was issued addressing two separate items.  One of the items was dropped due to further supporting information provided by the company at the informal conference.  The other item was maintained with one instance.  It was a 5(a)(1) which identified a Genie aerial lift on a barge being used as a crane to hoist equipment.  This activity was prohibited by the manufacturer,” Joanna P. Hawkins, deputy regional director for the U.S. Department of Labor, told LevittownNow.com via email.

Authorities said the investigation into why the silo collapsed was ongoing as of Thursday evening.

The news shocked friends and family of Gabriele who were upset as they arrived outside the cement facility early Thursday.

“I honestly feel so sick that this happened to Tony,” one of his friends told LevittownNow.com. “He’s a great guy, and I’m really praying there is some way they find him alive.”