Man dies in fall at Providence Place Mall

PROVIDENCE – A Pawtucket man fell to his death after allegedly “clowning around” and attempting to ride the escalator rail at the Providence Place Mall Monday night, Providence Police said.

According to the narrative from the Providence Police Department, officers were dispatched to Providence Place Mall at 10:34 p.m. Monday for a report of a “jumper” in the mall’s food court. The victim, only identified in the report as a 45-year-old white man, was seen laying in a prone position in the food court under the Dave & Buster’s railing parallel to the escalators, police said. There was a “large area of blood” pooling from the man’s head, police said.

Officers spoke to a witness who told both Providence Police and Providence Place Mall security that the man was “clowning around” and riding the rail of the escalator from the upper level movie theater down to the food court level. The witness told police and security that the man made it to the hand rail’s downward slope before he fell backwards off the rail and struck his head on a table in the food court, police said.

Providence Fire personnel responded and worked on the victim until Providence Rescue arrived on scene. The victim was secured to a trauma board and placed on a stretcher. He was transported to Rhode Island Hospital and police said he was “still breathing and showing vital signs” at this time. However, he succumbed to his injuries at the hospital and was pronounced dead at 11:15 p.m., police said.

Providence Police as of Tuesday afternoon had not released the victim’s identity, as a city official said authorities had not yet been able to notify the family, but media outlets around Rhode Island had identified him as a Pawtucket native.