A man di£d in a freak accident after falling from an escalator at a mall.
Authorities responded to reports of an industrial accident involving an escalator at the RioCan Empress Walk Plaza in North York on Thursday, June 25, the Toronto Police Service confirmed to PEOPLE.
Shortly after emergency services arrived around 5 p.m. local time, they found that a man had fallen from the escalator.
He was pronounced de@d at the scene, and police subsequently evacuated the plaza and shut it down. Authorities later said there was no indication that the man's d£ath was criminal in nature.
"We saw a blanket over [the ground] and a lot of cops and security guards just around, and then eventually we were outside, and we saw people coming out [of the mall]," Lucas Hay, who said she witnessed the incident, told Global News.
"There was no panic at all. It was just because there were a lot of people around, so they had to slowly usher everyone out," the woman added.
Following the incident, RioCan, one of Canada's largest real estate investment trusts, said it is fully cooperating with the investigation.
In a statement, the organization said, according to the Toronto Sun, "We are deeply saddened by this incident and extend our sincere condolences to the individual's family and loved ones."
The statement continued, "We defer any questions regarding the incident to Toronto Police and are unable to comment further."
According to the Toronto Star, the Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA) conducted an investigation following the incident.
Spokesperson Alexandra Campbell told the outlet it had been ruled out that the man's fall was caused by any kind of escalator malfunction.
"There are no mechanical problems with the escalator itself," she explained.
While the Ministry of Labour was notified of the incident, according to the Toronto Police Service, the government department told Global News that “the incident did not involve a worker or workplace activity and does not fall under the ministry's jurisdiction.”
