Fatal fall under investigation
A man has died after falling from the second level of the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City on September 28, landing on the floor of a lobby inside the property. The authorities are still investigating the incident.
Local emergency medical technicians and security officers at the Hard Rock attempted to resuscitate the 30-year-old man from Rochester, New York. Despite their efforts, the man was eventually pronounced dead. Police reports did not specify if it was the gaming floor lobby or the hotel lobby that the victim fell onto, giving no indication of the height of the fall he suffered.
attempting to climb over a divider on the second floor
Initial police inquiries indicate that the man was attempting to climb over a divider on the second floor at around 4am, with officers responding within ten minutes. Further police investigations and a likely autopsy will seek to learn more about the cause of the fall. Internal surveillance footage at the casino is being used as part of the investigations. The victim’s name has not been publicized, and there is currently no information about his condition prior to the fall.
Police are appealing to potential witnesses and others who may have seen the man before the incident to come forward. A spokesperson from the Hard Rock property extended condolences to the victim’s family.
Tough times for Atlantic City casinos
Atlantic City properties are trying to recover after ceasing all business activity on March 16 and being unable to restart operations before July 2 in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The city’s casinos have reopened their doors at just 25% capacity, with extensive health and safety rules in place.
Monthly casino revenue for Atlantic City properties has been recovering since gambling operations restarted. The Hard Rock facility recorded total casino win of $32.87m for August 2020 – reaching 85.5% of the $38.45m it generated in August 2019.
Other recent serious incidents
As well as yesterday’s tragic fall at the Hard Rock in Atlantic City, a few other notable incidents have occurred in close proximity to US casinos in recent weeks.
Two shootings took place close to Las Vegas casino properties over the past week. The first happened outside the Strip’s ARIA Resort & Casino just after 11pm on September 22. The suspect fired a number of shots in front of the casino, which led to one person suffering minor injuries. A second shooting followed Sunday night at about 11pm on the sidewalk between the LINQ and Flamingo hotel-casinos. One man was left critically injured.
Las Vegas has reported a recent increase in crime since its casinos reopened following the pandemic shutdown.