MOUNT LEBANON, Pa. — A crew member on the biographical film about Fred Rogers has died after falling two stories from a Mount Lebanon apartment building Thursday night.
RELATED STORY: Production for Mr. Rogers movie will begin locally this fall
James Emswiller, a 61-year-old sound mixer from the Pittsburgh area, took a smoke break between filming scenes for "You Are My Friend" on Shady Drive when others nearby said they heard a noise and discovered he had fallen from a balcony, police said.
Investigators believe he had some sort of medical emergency that caused him to fall.
Emswiller had a successful career in film, working on several major blockbusters and even winning an Emmy.
Local film industry professionals are devastated by Emswiller’s death.
“We're all sad. It's a tremendous loss for our community. It’s a tremendous loss for our film family. Jim was an important, valued, trusted member of our group,” Pittsburgh Film Office Director Dawn Keezer said. “It takes a lot of people to make this happen here in Pittsburgh, to get this work here, and he is going to be greatly missed.”
Sony Pictures/TriStar Pictures released a statement that 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.”
Emswiller worked for nearly 33 years in the film industry, spending time on blockbusters like "The Avengers" and "Jack Reacher."
We are saddened at the loss of Jim Emswiller. He was a valued, trusted and important member of our film family. Our thoughts are with his family and friends. pic.twitter.com/rAQWwIQwEl
— Pittsburgh Film Office (@PghFilmOffice) October 12, 2018
Emswiller was initially taken to UPMC Mercy in serious condition, police said. The police chief later said the situation worsened, and his condition became critical.
Emswiller died about 8:30 p.m. at the hospital.
Filming stopped for the night as police investigated.
Users of the WPXI news app were the first in Pittsburgh to hear about this story. Click here to follow updates and download the app.
TRENDING NOW:
- How to see if your personal data was accessed in Facebook hack
- Dad accused of starving infant daughter told 911 dispatcher baby was 'dead as a doornail'
- Wagner says he'll 'stomp' Wolf's face with golf spikes
- VIDEO: Florida Bus Driver Gets Bus Stuck In Pool
- DOWNLOAD the Channel 11 News app for breaking news alerts
Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/XCUXZC2XYZHCRGNNGKFEX6U3LQ.png)
