Whitman Man Killed In Fall Not Allowed On Harbor Island

A state official says a Whitman man who fell to his death in an elevator shaft on Peddocks Island was part of a group not authorized to be on the Boston Harbor island.

The state employee who invited him has been placed on unpaid administrative leave.

The Brockton Enterprise News reports that investigators say William E. Bryan III was with a group of friends, including the island's unidentified caretaker who is an employee of the state Department of Conservation and Recreation.

The island is part of the Boston Harbor Islands National Park and is closed to the public during the winter.

Assistant Plymouth County District Attorney Bridget Middleton said the 35-year-old Bryan had been drinking alcohol before going into the quartermaster's building on Friday night.

She says the death was accidental and an autopsy is pending.