Man Nearly Buried Alive In Judaica Books

A customer at a Brooklyn Judaica store was nearly buried alive yesterday when a 7-foot shelf collapsed on him – burying him in religious books.

The unidentified man had to be extricated by firefighters after the accident on the second floor of the V. Berman Books store on 17th Ave. in Borough Park.

Bookstore worker Yisroel Neusdaum said no one had any idea why the metal shelves toppled.

“That’s what we’re trying to figure out,” Neusdaum said.

The shopper was a first-time customer at the store, which stocks hundreds of copies of Jewish religious texts stacked up toward the ceiling.

He was browsing on the second floor when one of the dozens of shelves collapsed.

Neusdaum called 911.

Firefighters responded and had to pull the customer out from under the avalanche of books. He somehow escaped with only minor injuries and refused medical treatment.

Bookstore workers said they never had had any problems with the shelves before.

“They’re always safe. It’s just like a mystery,” said another employee who did not want his name used.