“I went crazy”: Valley family devastated after warehouse worker’s tragic accident

PHOENIX (AZFamily) – A cell phone video shows Oswaldo Montoya with his newborn baby a few weeks ago, smiling and laughing.

It is a moment that will not happen again after the tragic death of the 22-year-old.

“He was a very loving, caring brother and son who always took care of my mother,” said Judith Montoya, the victim’s sister.

Arizona’s family sat down with her to talk about her brother, whom she describes as a kind, big-hearted young man with a great sense of humor.

She said he took a job at a warehouse on the corner of 43rd Avenue and Van Buren Street in Phoenix last December to support his girlfriend and newborn baby.

Last Wednesday evening, the family received a call that Oswaldo was missing. A 77 mph microburst struck the warehouse and caused the roof to collapse.

“I was freaking out,” Montoya said. “I just wanted to go in there and get him out. I don’t know, I just wanted to resuscitate him. There were a lot of emotions involved.”

Over the next three days, Phoenix firefighters worked around the clock, removing thousands of pounds of concrete to find Oswaldo.

Family and friends never gave up hope that he would be found and that he would be okay.

“Maybe he’s stuck somewhere safe,” Montoya said. “Maybe he’s hidden behind something. We were hoping that’s where he was, maybe he escaped somewhere safe.”

On Saturday, Oswaldo’s family received the news they didn’t want to hear: Oswaldo’s body had been found inside.

“That’s something you never want to hear. You never want someone you love to leave, you always want to see them,” Montoya said.

The sister said the pain of losing her brother was even greater knowing that her son would now grow up without a father.

“It’s the worst thing not seeing him as a father anymore, not seeing him with his son anymore,” said Judith Montoya. “But I know he would be a great father because he’s already shown that.”

Have you discovered a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Click here to report it.

Do you have a photo or video of a recent news story? Send it here with a short description.

All rights reserved.