Construction worker electrocuted at New Rochelle construction site remembered at vigil

Construction workers and local leaders gathered at New Rochelle City Hall Thursday to remember a Bronx man who was killed while doing construction last week.
Candles and a moment of silence was held in remembrance of 26-year-old Alejandro Manuel Pellisa.
New Rochelle police say Pellisa was in a cherry picker working on a building on Union Avenue when he accidentally hit high voltage wires and was electrocuted.
“This is really an issue of worker safety. Making sure that this young man was properly trained to do his job, and we, unfortunately, don't think that was the case,” said the president of the Westchester-Putnam Central Labor Body Thomas Carey, who also organized the vigil as a call for better workplace training and safety.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor and statistics, there were 198 work-related fatalities in 2018, with 36 in construction in New York, excluding New York City.
Lawmakers said they play a part in lowering those numbers.
"Being thoughtful around ensuring that while development is wonderful and we’re excited to sort of see revitalization, that there are human lives that are really the foundation of the development and just ensuring that everyone is able to go home safely, and leveraging our power to do that,” said New Rochelle City Council Member Yadira Ramos-Herbert.
The Occupational Health and Safety Administration and the city's Building Department is investigating the accident.