An 18-year-old suffered life-threatening injuries after falling 20 stories inside a decommissioned Minneapolis grain elevator, turning a nighttime trespassing incident into a major emergency response. The teen landed on an elevated platform, where firefighters had to use a ladder truck to reach him.
According to KSTP, Minneapolis police said a group of teenagers had trespassed onto the Checkerboard grain elevator property before the fall. Emergency medical personnel began treating the injured teen after first responders arrived shortly after 8:30 p.m., and he was taken to Hennepin Healthcare.
Police have not said what led up to the fall or released the extent of the teen’s injuries. No additional information about the group or any potential citations or charges was immediately available.
Minneapolis Grain Elevators Have Drawn Repeated Trespassing Emergencies
The accident echoes a separate Minneapolis grain-elevator fall in 2025, when a 19-year-old urban explorer fell six stories inside an old elevator at Upper Harbor Terminal. The Minnesota Star Tribune reported that the woman suffered severe brain injuries, while officials said three trespasser falls had occurred at that site during the year and that crews were working to weld shut additional access points.
Minneapolis has also seen fatal incidents at abandoned grain facilities. In 2015, a University of Minnesota student died after falling inside the Bunge grain elevator, and the Minnesota Star Tribune cited firefighters warning about the dangers of exploring large, deteriorating industrial buildings.
The latest fall adds another serious injury to that long record, though authorities have not indicated whether the Checkerboard property will face new security measures. KSTP’s report said police had not yet explained how the teen entered the structure or why he fell.
