Family Distraught After Chocolate Death

A man who prayed for a job for weeks dies in a tragic accident at a chocolate factory in Camden, N.J..

Slideshow: Man Dies In Chocolate Tank

Police were called to a warehouse and manufacturing facility on the 700 block of North 36th Street around 10:45 a.m. Wednesday for a report of a man who had fallen into hot chocolate.

The Camden County prosecutor's office identified the victim as 29-year-old Vincent Smith II of Camden. He was a temporary worker at the Cocoa Services Inc. plant.

Smith was loading chunks of raw chocolate into a melting tank, but he slipped and fell into the tank.

Co-workers shut off the valve and tried to reach him, but failed.

Devastated family members arrived at the hospital and were wondering what happened, and how their loved one could possibly have died.

"He was good kid. Always positive, never negative. He was always laughing," said Teresa Smith, his aunt.

"We just really need to know what happened. Why was he up there... what the situation was. What happened?" said Tiombe Smith, a cousin.

His brother said Smith has been looking for work for a long time.

"He just prayed....really hard," said Carl Smith.

Prosecutor's spokesman Jason Laughlin says a co-worker tried to shut off the machine and two others tried to pull Smith out of the 8-foot-deep vat.

According to authorities, Smith was working at Lyons and Sons, which leases space to Cocoa Services. That company takes raw chocolate and melts it down to send out to other companies who use chocolate.

Police said Smith was standing over the vat of chocolate and was dumping the chunks of chocolate in when he fell in. At least three people turned the emergency shut off, but it was too late because one of the paddles had apparently knocked Smith out. The chocolate was 120 degrees.

Smith  had been in the melting pot for about 10 minutes by the time crews arrived. He was declared dead shortly after 11 a.m.

The turnout gear of firefighters at the scene was covered with chocolate, as were the clothes of an obviously distraught co-worker who was being consoled by an EMT.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has been called in to investigate.