LI Pastor Dies From Injuries After Tragic Fall

BOHEMIA, NY — A pastor at a Bohemia church died from his injuries last week after he fell while performing maintenance earlier this month.

Meint Ploegman, 65, was cleaning the gutters at Orthodox Presbyterian Church at 906 Church St. when he fell about 10 feet to the ground on Sunday, Nov. 15. A church member found him and called 911.

Ploegman, who lives across the street from the church, was transported to Southside Hospital in Bay Shore where he was listed in critical condition.

However, in a Facebook post on Thursday, the Orthodox Presbyterian Church confirmed that Pastor Ploegman succumbed to his injuries following the fall.

"The Orthodox Presbyterian Church together with the Ploegman family would like to thank the Connetquot Community for their incredible outpouring of love and support throughout this difficult week as we lost our beloved Pastor Ploegman in a tragic fall," the post read. "It was Pastor Ploegman's deepest joy and honor to humbly serve those in need in our community - and the many, many messages of love and stories of how he touched your lives has been of great comfort to us all."

A funeral service was be held on Thursday night, which was live streamed on the church's Facebook page.

Watch the full service below: