Cranford movie theater evacuated after ceiling collapse; no injuries
CRANFORD, New Jersey (WABC) -- A movie theater in New Jersey has been evacuated after a ceiling collapsed on Wednesday night.
Cranford police and fire departments responded to the Cranford Theater at 25 North Avenue West following a report of a ceiling collapse around 7:30 p.m.
Officials say a suspended roof inside one of the theaters collapsed.
Crews immediately began a search and rescue effort and determined that all people in the theater had evacuated, according to Cranford police.
The theater, which was open and operational at the time, had presold just two tickets for that showing, and the two moviegoers never showed.
No injuries were reported.
First responders say they know how much worse this could have been.
"Had it been an event on another evening when it was at max capacity with 200-plus, it could have been a mass casualty event," said a member of the Cranford Police Department.
There was a concert scheduled for the same auditorium on Thursday, at the same time that the roof collapsed on Wednesday night. The theater was expecting upwards of 200 people for the event
Now, police say the building is uninhabitable, and the cause of the collapse is under investigation.
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