NJ police: Alan Dankel, Jr. fell to his death while decorating his roof with Christmas lights

A New Jersey man decorating his home for the holidays fell to his death after climbing up to his roof to string Christmas lights along its eaves.

Alan Dankel’s wife, Leslie, discovered him lying in the driveway of their Washington Township home Sunday evening, five hours after she left him to complete her Christmas shopping.

Leslie Dankel said right before leaving to go shopping she warned her fifty-nine year old husband not to go onto the roof.  She told reporters, “I said, ‘do not go on the roof.’ I didn’t hear from him and usually when I am shopping, he’s calling me all day.”

She said she returned home five hours later and found her husband lying in their driveway and the garage door wide open. 

Mr Dankel suffered head injuries in the fall and died shortly after being taken to nearby Kennedy Memorial Hospital.