Police identify worker still missing after Loop Parkway scaffolding collapse

State police on Thursday identified the worker still missing after Wednesday’s deadly scaffolding collapse on the Loop Parkway drawbridge as Diogo De Oliveira, 38, of Elizabeth, N.J.

Authorities released his name as efforts continued to locate him. Police also identified the worker who died as Kleiton De Madeiros, 39, of Montclair, N.J.

Eight contract employees were working on the bridge in Point Lookout when their scaffolding collapsed late Wednesday morning, CBS News New York reported, citing state police.

Emergency crews responded at approximately 11:50 a.m. Two workers fell into the water, according to state police. De Madeiros was transported to a local hospital, where he died.

The six other workers did not fall into the water but sustained injuries that were not considered life-threatening, police said.

The Point Lookout-Lido Fire Department initially responded and was joined by crews from several other communities, CBS reported. Nassau County police’s Marine Unit also assisted with the rescue operation.

Both directions of the Loop Parkway were initially closed. The southbound lanes reopened Wednesday evening, CBS reported. An earlier state police update said the northbound lanes remained closed; an updated status was not immediately available.

The drawbridge connects the Meadowbrook Parkway with the barrier island communities, including Long Beach.

The search comes as a coastal storm brings rain and gusty winds to Long Island, with wet conditions expected to continue into Friday night.

The cause of the collapse remains under investigation.

The Loop Parkway drawbridge was built in 1934 and underwent a steel-deck replacement as part of a $13.1 million rehabilitation project that also included the Meadowbrook Parkway drawbridge. State officials announced in May 2024 that major construction was complete, with additional work on the Loop bridge’s concrete support piers still planned.

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Top: The Loop Parkway drawbridge in a file photo released by New York state. (Courtesy of the New York State Governor’s Office)