Dale R. Devilli, a 63-year-old man, was found dead inside a kettle cooker at a processing plant in New Jersey. The tragic incident occurred on Monday morning in Cumberland County.
Mr. Devilli, a father of two, was working at the food processing of Lassonde Pappas and Co. in Bridgeton. The Canadian company is behind Apple & Eve juice.
The case is being investigated by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) since he was found inside an industrial machine. However, the regulatory agency is not talking about the matter.
In 2020, 4,764 fatal work injuries were recorded in the United States. The year before, that number was 5,333, which is a 10.7% decrease. The year 2020 was also the one with the lowest fatalities since 2013.
Officials with links to the police say that nothing suspicious was found. Moreover, one source told PEOPLE: “Nothing suspicious appeared in nature. This is an active investigation, and there is no additional information available.”
Lassonde Pappas spokesperson Alexander Roberton said: “Early Monday morning, an accident that caused a fatal injury to one of our employees occurred at our facility. We are devastated by the loss of our friend and colleague, and our thoughts and prayers are with his family at this time.”
Family and friends have taken to social media to say that Devilli was a good man. A statement from his daughter, Karli Devilli, to PEOPLE, read: “We will do everything we can to learn why this accident happened and how it could have been prevented. For now, we just want private time to remember a wonderful father and husband who we will miss so very much.”
She also posted the following on her Facebook page: “Daddy, losing you so suddenly yesterday has been a nightmare that I know isn’t going to end anytime soon. I don’t know what I’m going to do without your loving and supportive talks that always ended with ‘everything will be okay, I love you.”
She continued: “You went above and beyond as a father and never missed a chance to make my mom, sister and I feel loved and provided for. You taught me more than I could ever learn from a book about life, unconditional love, and how important family is. I know I’ll see you again one day.”
Devilli, who was a great handyman and loved the outdoors, leaves behind two daughters and his wife of 28 years, Allison. The funeral is set for Monday, September 26.
