Law firm probes security at grain elevator where teen fell 20 stories
Eighteen-year-old Ash Ranallo-Korbel fell about 20 stories inside Minneapolis' Checkerboard Grain Elevator and survived, and a Chicago law firm has opened an investigation into alleged security failures at the site.[1]
Chicago-based Romanucci & Blandin says it is weighing a civil case and cites years of security complaints and easy access at the Checkerboard site.[1] Officials called Ranallo-Korbel's survival a "miracle" because he landed on a relatively softer flat-roof membrane rather than a harder surface.[1]
Minneapolis police say there have been about 100 "urban explorer" reports and 15 arrests so far in 2026, compared with roughly 80 such incidents last year.[1] Chaska Police say there have been more than 100 break-in calls at the closed Oak Ridge Hotel and Conference Center since it shut in 2020.[2] Two young men from Big Lake and Elk River were cited there after learning about the site via social media.[2]
Police have explicitly linked the Oak Ridge trespassing and the Checkerboard fall as part of a broader warning against urban exploring in closed or abandoned properties.[2] Initial local reports described the fall on Aug. 4.[3] The law firm's investigation and its claim of "ample evidence" of prior intervention requests were reported Aug. 14.[1]
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📌 Key Facts
- Eighteen-year-old Ash Ranallo-Korbel fell about 20 stories at the Checkerboard Grain Elevator and survived — officials called the survival a “miracle” because he landed on a relatively softer flat-roof membrane rather than a harder surface.
- Chicago-based law firm Romanucci & Blandin has opened an investigation into the incident, focusing on alleged years of security complaints and easy access at the Checkerboard Grain Elevator site.
- The law firm says it is considering a civil case over what it calls “inadequate security” and claims there is “ample evidence” of prior reports and requests for intervention.
- Minneapolis police say there have been about 100 ‘urban explorer’ reports and 15 arrests so far in 2026, compared with roughly 80 such incidents last year.
- Chaska Police report more than 100 break‑in calls at the closed Oak Ridge Hotel and Conference Center since it shut down in 2020.
- Two young men from Big Lake and Elk River were cited for trespassing at Oak Ridge on Thursday after learning about the site via social media.
- Police explicitly link the Oak Ridge trespassing and the Checkerboard Grain Elevator fall as part of a broader warning against urban exploring in closed or abandoned properties.
📰 Source Timeline (3)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- Victim is identified by name as 18-year-old Ash Ranallo-Korbel.
- Chicago-based law firm Romanucci & Blandin has opened an investigation into the incident, focusing on alleged years of security complaints and easy access at the Checkerboard Grain Elevator site.
- The firm says it is considering a civil case based on what it calls ‘inadequate security’ and claims there is ‘ample evidence’ of prior reports and requests for intervention.
- Minneapolis police now quantify about 100 ‘urban explorer’ reports and 15 arrests so far in 2026, compared with roughly 80 such incidents last year.
- Officials note survival was considered a ‘miracle’ because the teen landed on a relatively softer flat-roof membrane rather than a harder surface.
- Chaska Police report more than 100 break‑in calls at the closed Oak Ridge Hotel and Conference Center since it shut down in 2020.
- Two young men from Big Lake and Elk River were cited for trespassing at Oak Ridge on Thursday after learning about the site via social media.
- Police explicitly link the Oak Ridge trespassing and the Checkerboard Grain Elevator fall as part of a broader warning against "urban exploring" in closed or abandoned properties.