It happened Saturday afternoon at the former home of the Railroad Café in East Rutherford.
The worker was in the basement when part of the structure around him and above him gave way. It took two hours to free the man.
Two other workers were in the building at the time. One of them was also injured.
The building owners have decided to tear the building down. They still plan to open a new restaurant on-site, but it will be built from scratch.
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