Jelly Belly employee killed at North Chicago factory

A Jelly Belly Candy Co. employee was crushed to death at the North Chicago factory, authorities said Thursday.

Local and federal authorities are investigating how Ismael Reyes-Calderon, 51, of Waukegan got caught between a pallet mover and pallets of candy Wednesday night, Lake County Coroner Richard Keller said.

Reyes-Calderon had been operating the machinery at the factory, 1501 Morrow Ave., when he was killed. Company officials don't know how Reyes-Calderon, who had been with Jelly Belly for 15 years and was trained on the machinery, got trapped.

"It's very, very strange," Vice Chairman Bill Kelley said.

Reyes-Calderon was alone when the accident occurred about 9:30 p.m. A supervisor who had noticed he didn't bring up a pallet of candy searched for and found him, Kelley said.

Reyes-Calderon was pronounced dead at 10:20 p.m. at Vista Medical Center East in Waukegan. An autopsy revealed he died of multiple injuries, Kelley said. It's the first on-site death in the company's history, Keller said.

Reyes-Calderon is survived by a daughter, Kelley said. The company has offered her and employees grief counseling, he said. "There are a lot of sad people out here, no question about it," Kelley said.

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration will investigate the accident.