A man was crushed to death by a garbage truck after he jumped into a dumpster following a night of drinking in northwest suburban Rosemont.
Diego Mata, 31, of the West Elsdon neighborhood, had been drinking with his brother in Rosemont’s entertainment district when he went missing early Saturday, according to Rosemont police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
About 12:30 a.m. Sunday, Mata’s brother showed up at the Rosemont police station to file a missing person report, police said. Officers then searched the entertainment district and checked surveillance cameras in the area before finding footage that showed Mata getting into a dumpster about 4:15 a.m. Saturday.
Just over an hour later, footage showed a Waste Management garbage truck hauling away Mata and the other contents of the dumpster, police said.
After learning where the trash was dumped, officers sifted through garbage and found Mata’s body “intact,” police said. He was pronounced dead at 2 p.m. Monday, the medical examiner’s office said.
An autopsy Tuesday found Mata died from multiple compression injuries he suffered in the truck and at the sanitation facility, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. His death was ruled an accident.
Police do not believe foul play was involved.
