Teen dies after fall through roof of abandoned Hamilton building, police say | CBC News
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A 19-year-old fell to his death in an abandoned Hamilton building this past weekend, police say.
The man “was located after falling through the roof” of the building at 606 Aberdeen Ave., Hamilton police said in a Monday news release. “He was pronounced deceased on scene, and the death is not considered suspicious.”
Hamilton police spokesperson Jackie Penman said police received the 911 call around 12:30 a.m. on April 4.
The abandoned building at Aberdeen Avenue and Longwood Road S. used to be a Westinghouse Corporation factory. Property records show it has been owned since at least 2019 by a corporation McMaster University controls. The corporation is headquartered at McMaster Innovation Park (MIP).
Plans from 2020 show the university intended to develop new campus and laboratory spaces on the former industrial site. CBC Hamilton asked McMaster what its current plans for the site are but did not receive a response before publication.
Measures in place to help secure site, says MIP CEO
“We are saddened by this tragic event, and our thoughts are with all those affected,” MIP CEO Gailene Tobin Vandenheuvel told CBC Hamilton in an emailed statement.
“Access to the building has long been restricted. The property is not open to the public. Measures are in place to help secure the site, including boarded entry points, fencing at key access areas, regular security patrols, and signage indicating that access is prohibited,” she said.
Tobin Vandenheuvel did not answer a question about whether this death will lead to changes regarding any of those access restrictions.
Videos on YouTube from purport to show people exploring the factory. In one from March, a pair appears to enter through a hole in the fence then a broken window.
CBC Hamilton asked the City of Hamilton if any departments are investigating the incident but did not receive a response before publication.
Penman, with the police, declined to say what message Hamilton police have for would-be urban explorers and the owners of abandoned buildings to help prevent injuries and deaths, saying that falls within the city’s jurisdiction.