A worker at the construction site of the AvalonBay development at 253 Witherspoon Street fell into an elevator shaft Tuesday morning. Manuel Otero, 51, of Newark, reportedly slipped from a scaffold and fell approximately 12 feet into the shaft, according to the Princeton Police Department. He was alert and conscious but sustained serious lacerations to his head and face.

Mr. Otero, who works for ENN Construction Company of Passaic, managed to climb out with the aid of other workers before the arrival of emergency personnel from the Princeton Police, Princeton First Aid and Rescue, and Princeton Fire Department. He was transported to Capital Health Regional Medical Center in Trenton.