A 19-year-old New Jersey man was killed after he climbed into a Pennsylvania store dumpster and was compressed in the back of a recycling truck, authorities said.
Kellen J. Bischoff’s body was then discovered among trash recyclables at the J.P. Mascaro & Sons’ Total Recycle facility in Birdsboro on Saturday at 8:41 a.m., a statement from the Berks County District Attorney’s Office said.
Bischoff had been previously reported missing to the Kutztown Borough Police Department before his body was found, the office said.
Investigators said they learned that the Manahawkin man had been visiting a family member in Kutztown and was last seen early Saturday morning after he left a party off the campus of Kutztown University.
Surveillance video showed Bischoff was alone when he climbed into a dumpster in the back of a Dollar Tree store in Kutztown, which was later dumped into the back of a recycling truck and carried to the recycling plant where his body was discovered, the DA’s office said.
An autopsy was performed, and no foul play or unexplained injuries were observed. Toxicology results are pending.
In his obituary, Bischoff was described as having a “fun-loving attitude,” being “infectious,” and having “left an impression on all who knew him.”
After graduating from Southern Regional High School in Stafford this year, he “started to follow his passion for music” at Full Sail University in Florida.
“Continue to pound those skins our mighty Irish warrior and we will be listening and we will hear you,” the obituary added.
The recycling facility also issued a statement in response to Bischoff’s death, expressing their sympathies.
“After immediately contacting the police, we have worked closely with them and will continue to provide whatever information and cooperation is needed in their investigation of this tragic accident,” their statement said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the young man’s family.”
The investigation is ongoing.
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