Ernest Vogliano: NYC man plunges 3 floors to death in freak escalator accident after Rangers game at MSG
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Officials stated that Ernest Vogliano fell and died at Madison Square Garden following the Rangers game. Vogliano is the son of an eminent former owner of a Big Apple restaurant, whose death was later determined to be accidental, according to his family and authorities.
Vogliano, 61, died after falling two to three levels while riding an escalator railing within the world's most famous arena at around 10.40 pm on Saturday, March 18, according to New York Post. The NYPD confirmed getting a 911 call regarding a person who was injured at the arena on the night of Saturday, March 18. They found a male with head trauma who was unconscious after reaching the location. Authorities stated that Vogliano was taken to Bellevue Hospital and later declared dead. It's not immediately clear how Vogliano was transported to the hospital since an FDNY representative stated on Wednesday, March 22 that there was no record of a call to the Garden, according to New York Post. Vogliano's death at the Garden was considered an accident after an autopsy by the city medical examiner revealed that he suffered a blunt force trauma that caused his death.
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The incident occurred while the New York State Liquor Authority is looking into MSG owner James Dolan's business, which might result in the agency revoking the liquor licenses of not only the Garden but also of Radio City Music Hall and the Beacon Theater.
Dolan has come under fire for using facial recognition software to restrict people from his venues, including lawyers with whom he has legal issues. A representative at MSG described Vogliano's death as "a tragic accident" that had nothing to do with the state liquor investigation in an email sent on Wednesday, March 22.
The email read, "A fan at this past Saturday's Rangers game was injured in a tragic accident while he was exiting the venue and was immediately transported to a local hospital where he passed away. Our deepest and heartfelt condolences go out to his loved ones," according to New York Post.
'We have no idea what happened'
The family of Vogliano, however, is still unsatisfied since Lesa, his now-widowed wife, has hired an attorney to investigate the matter and asserts that she was kept in the dark about what transpired. The family's attorney Fred Eisenberg stated, "We have no idea what happened, but they do. We have to review the evidence. We know that he was there and we know that he died. We'd like to find out how," according to New York Post.
Eisenberg claimed that Lesa was never informed of the specifics, leading him to write a note to MSG officials on Saturday, March 22, demanding that all evidence connected to Vogliano's death—including surveillance video—be retained until it can be examined.
Who is Ernest Vogliano?
Vogliano founded Monster Productions, a web design business in New York City, in addition to publishing Aspen Aces & Eights magazine. Vogliano's father, the late Ernest Sr, was the longstanding owner of Il Vagabondo, a prominent restaurant that once served as an Italian social court and attracted celebrities like Cindy Crawford and Tom Hanks.