New jersey movie theater roof collapses during showing of minecraft

CRANFORD, NJ — A movie theater in downtown Cranford was condemned and shut down Tuesday night after a ceiling inside one of its auditoriums collapsed just moments before a scheduled screening of the hit movie Minecraft, officials confirmed.

The incident occurred after dark as the Cranford Theater was preparing to show “The Accountant 2” and “The Minecraft Movie.”

Inside the theatre, debris was strewn across the auditorium floor, including ceiling tiles, metal framing, and ductwork.

Authorities said the collapse happened suddenly and without warning.

Only two patrons had purchased tickets to the film scheduled in the affected auditorium. Neither had entered the theater when the ceiling gave way, and no injuries were reported. Emergency responders arrived shortly after the collapse and secured the building.

“The dropped ceiling simply collapsed and fell to the floor of that auditorium,” said a witness on the scene. “The ceiling tiles, the metal framing, the ductwork— all of it.”

Officials noted that the damage could have resulted in significant casualties under different circumstances.

Officials call near-miss a potential mass casualty event

Emergency personnel on site emphasized how narrowly a disaster had been avoided. A concert had been scheduled for the same auditorium at the same time the following evening, with an expected crowd of over 200 people.

“Had it been an event in another evening, when it was at max capacity of 200-plus, it could have been a mass casualty event,” one first responder said. “Our search and rescue would have been certainly doing their job to make sure that everyone was extracted.”

In response, building inspectors will begin a full structural review of the theater to determine the cause of the collapse. In the meantime, the theater has been closed indefinitely, with bright orange condemnation notices now posted on the entrance.

The Cranford Theater, a local mainstay, had previously hosted film screenings and community events. Its closure affects upcoming showings and scheduled public gatherings, all of which are now postponed or canceled.

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