Worker's body found inside walk-in freezer at bakery manufacturing facility in East Flatbush
EAST FLATBUSH, Brooklyn (WABC) -- A worker's body was found in a walk-in freezer at a bakery manufacturing facility in Brooklyn Thursday morning.
Investigators say he was discovered dead by co-workers at around 8:45 a.m.
According to a preliminary police investigation, the 33-year-old man appears to have been accidentally locked in the walk-in freezer overnight around 3 a.m.
While his co-workers were struggling to understand what happened, his family is struggling most of all.
They identified the victim as Mahamadou Dansogo, a father of five young kids, who came here from Mali for a better life.
Dansogo's uncle told Eyewitness News that he became stuck in a machine while he was cleaning it.
The NYPD's Emergency Services Unit, the fire department and the medical examiner all worked to free Dansogo's body from the equipment.
Many questions remain about whether the accident could have been prevented.
Many employees of the company, which is well-known in Brooklyn for decades, were left shell-shocked by what happened.
They told Eyewitness News they have a lot of questions about safety.
The bakery is well-known for its black and white cookies, described on the company's website as "New York's signature cookie, with Beigel's churning out over a hundred million of them to date."
Police say the investigation is ongoing.
Beigel's Bakery manager David Greenberger made a statement outside the facility and extended his deepest condolences.
"We are devastated by the loss of our employee in this accident," Greenberger said. "The family has been notified and we extended our deepest condolences to them. Grief counselors are on the site to provide counseling and support to the family and to our employees. This is an ongoing situation and we are cooperating with all investigations. We have no further comment at this time."
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