Elevator company employee killed in industrial accident at TripAdvisor’s Needham headquarters, police say

An elevator company employee died in an industrial accident at TripAdvisor’s headquarters in Needham Tuesday morning, according to authorities.

James Jacobs, 52, worked for Otis Elevator, Needham police said.

No TripAdvisor employees were involved or injured in the incident, police Chief John Schlitter said.

“At this time, our thoughts and prayers are with the victim’s family and co-workers,” Schlitter said during a brief press conference.

Both Needham police and fire departments responded to the scene at the travel website’s 400 1st Ave. offices around 8:30 a.m., according to Schlitter. Boston Fire Department Technical Rescue Services aided in recovery efforts, he said.

Jacobs’s last known address was in Westport, according to Needham police Lt. Chris Baker.

“Unfortunately, this morning there was an incident with a maintenance crew member — employed by Otis Elevator Co. — that is being addressed and investigated today by the Needham Police and Massachusetts State Police,” TripAdvisor said in a statement. “No TripAdvisor employees were harmed, and our thoughts are with the worker’s family and colleagues during this time.”

In a statement, Otis Elevator said the company is “deeply saddened to learn that we lost a team member at a jobsite this morning.”

“Our most sincere and heartfelt condolences go out to the family of the deceased,” the statement says. “We are working to gather more information about this incident as quickly as possible. There is nothing more important to Otis than the safety of our employees, customers and the people who rely on our products and services every day.”

The incident remained under investigation later Tuesday afternoon by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Needham police, and Massachusetts State Police assigned to the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office, Baker said in an email to reporters.

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