An unidentified man was found dead in the cooling tower at Lotte Biologics' U.S. manufacturing facility. Local police said there were no signs of foul play and are investigating the exact cause and circumstances of death.
According to U.S. media on the 14th, at about 12:37 a.m. on the 13th, a man's body was found in the cooling tower at the Lotte Biologics Syracuse Bio Campus in DeWitt, New York.
DeWitt police, the fire department, and the Onondaga County Medical Examiner's Office responded to the report and recovered the body at the scene. The Syracuse Fire Department lowered a rescue basket into the cooling tower and moved the body out.
Police said there were no indications of homicide so far.
It is not yet known what the exact cause of death was or how long the man had been inside the cooling tower. The local medical examiner's office plans to determine the cause of death through an autopsy. Police are conducting additional investigations.
Lotte Biologics acquired a biopharmaceutical manufacturing facility in New York in 2023 and is operating a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) business for antibody drugs. The facility was previously operated by Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS).
Lotte Biologics said the person was not a company employee and noted production is proceeding without disruption, adding it is cooperating with authorities in the investigation.