Aug 2, 2002 2 min read

FREEHOLD, N.J. (AP) – A safety mechanism was taped over and not working when two little girls were killed in an elevator in a multimillion-dollar home, authorities said Thursday. Someone taped over the sensor that would have kept the car from operating with the gate open, Monmouth County Prosecutor John Kaye said.

The victims of Wednesday night’s accident were identified as Arelia Franco, 7, and her sister, Nanci, 6. Their father, Victoriano Franco, is the groundskeeper for the 10-acre Colts Neck estate.

The girls were lying down in the elevator with their heads partially across the threshold as the car ascended from the basement. They were killed when their heads were wedged against a piece of the elevator shaft.

“If that gate was closed, this would not have happened,” Kaye said.

The father was out looking for the owner’s dog when the accident happened. When discovered what had happened, he frantically pried open the elevator doors, severely cut his hands in the process.

Police received a 911 call from a distraught person who could not speak English; the location was traced through caller ID.

Detectives did not know who placed the tape over the sensor. The deaths were considered an accident and not being investigated as a crime, Kaye said.

The owner of the home, Kevin Ventrice, was vacationing with his family in Florida when the accident happened. The elevator had been installed by a previous owner who used a wheelchair, Kaye said.

Franco has worked for Ventrice for four years, authorities said, but the girls had just moved here from Mexico four months ago. Franco and his wife also have three older sons.