James Emswiller, a crew member on the upcoming Mister Rogers movie, 'You Are My Friend', has died at the age of 65. He passed away on Thursday, October 11, while on set.
According to the Mt. Lebanon Police, he was on the balcony alone smoking a cigarette when he fell two stories off and according to the TMZ report, as EMTs arrived at the scene, James was in full cardiac arrest.
He was rushed to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Mercy. He was pronounced dead three hours later.
NEW: Mt. Lebanon police say they were filming scenes for Mr. Rodgers movie & they took a break. A crew member went out to smoke a cigarette on a 2nd store balcony & people heard a noise. They realized the man had fallen 2 stories. He was taken to Mercy in serious condition @WPXI pic.twitter.com/4L42wvmPfu
— Gabriella DeLuca (@GabriellaDeLuca) October 12, 2018
NEW: police say the man who fell is a 65 year old man. @WPXI filming is done for the night, they’re determining if they will resume tomorrow. @WPXI Chief is now getting an update from Medics pic.twitter.com/xVDJIOyeOo
— Gabriella DeLuca (@GabriellaDeLuca) October 12, 2018
Tom Hanks, who is playing Mister Rogers in the film, was present at the site at the time.
In a statement to Us Weekly, Sony Pictures said, "This is a devastating tragedy and the studio is investigating the matter. Our thoughts and prayers are with Jim’s loved ones, friends, and colleagues".
James was a sound technician in the industry since 1989 and received an Emmy Award in 2015 for his work on HBO’s Bessie.
He also has worked on sound mixing on the Showtime upcoming series, Escape at Dannemora. His credits include Jack Reacher and The Avengers.
For more updates, stay tuned to Frostsnow.
