Crime & Safety

Orangetown Police Confirm Identity of Man Killled in Pearl River Industrial Accident

James. W. Hoyt of Bogata, NJ was crushed by a 2,500-pound crate while working in a parking lot outside Blue Hill Plaza in Pearl River last Friday.

Orangetown Police confirmed that James W. Hoyt, 59, of Bogata, NJ was the man killed Friday when he was in Pearl River.  

Hoyt and other workers were moving the crate from one truck to another at the parking lot of Blue Hill Plaza in Pearl River when the accident occurred, according to police and a notice from the Volk Leber Funeral Home. He was freed from under the crate and taken to Nyack Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. 

"They had loaded computer stuff on the white truck from the building," Orangetown Police Detective Sgt. George Garrecht told Patch last week. "That big truck couldn't get down there with a forklift. They loaded that up with about six of those boxes with computer parts or mainframes. They backed the two trucks together and put the lift gates down and were transferring (the boxes) across the lift gates.

Find out what's happening in Pearl Riverwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Hoyt grew up in Kansas City and moved to New Orleans, where he worked as a plant manager for Bunge Corp. He later moved to Teaneck and became a licensed practical nurse.

He is survived by two brothers, Michael Hoyt, of Teaneck, and Tim Hoyt of Overbrook, Kan., as well as three sisters, Mary T. Durkin, of Chicago, Mary Jo Hoyt, of Maplewood and Anne Hoyt, of New York City.

Find out what's happening in Pearl Riverwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

A memorial visiting will be held Friday 10 to 11 a.m. at St. Anastasia's RC Church in Teaneck, with an 11 a.m. memorial mass also planned at St. Anastasia's.

-- Staff Reports 


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.