Young New Jersey Boy Died after falling into Supermarket Grease Pit

As if the nation needed more proof that drownings occur not just in swimming pools, oceans and lakes, a New Jersey boy this week died after falling into a grease pit behind a supermarket owned by his parents.

Jordy Marmolejo, just days shy of his fourth birthday, was playing outside the Vineland supermarket when the freak accident occurred Tuesday afternoon, police said.

The 5-foot-deep pit, which stores used grease from the kitchen, is usually topped by a manhole cover, which had been removed to use the pit.

Store employees tried to rescue Jordy but failed, according to UPI.

When the rescue squad came to the scene, "you couldn't see into it. It was just a sludgy material," fire department Capt. Anthony Baldosaro said. "We stirred the poles around until we felt a little bump. Then we latched him on to the poles and pulled him up."

The child was unresponsive and in cardiac arrest, Emergency Medical Services Chief Al Lincks said. Medics tried to open an airway to resuscitate the boy on the way to South Jersey Healthcare Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

In the wake of the accident, Vineland, N.J. Mayor Robert Romano said he was exploring new legislation that could put tighter rules over grease pits.

Attorneys of Ross Feller Casey, LLP have built a remarkable record of victories in Premises Liability cases, amassing a long list of seven- and eight-figure verdicts and settlements. They include:

• A $10 million recovery for a child who drowned in a swimming pool.

• A $6.6 million verdict for the family of a 8-year-old boy who drowned after the lifeguards at his summer camp abandoned their post.

• A $5.5 million recovery for the family of a 15-year-old boy who drowned in a hotel swimming pool.

• A $4.5 million recovery for a man who suffered injuries after he fell into an above-ground pool because of a ladder defect.

• A multi-million recovery the family of a 10-year-old girl who drowned in a New Jersey apartment complex pool "guarded" by two-lifeguards.