Alpha News has obtained an exclusive video capturing the moments when a 19-year-old woman was forced to jump out of a construction trailer window after she was barricaded inside by union members who stormed the job site she was working.
Maretta Van Beck, home for Christmas break from college last year, had taken a temporary job managing gate control at a non-union Brooklyn Park construction site where her father was the superintendent.
She says the morning of Dec. 20, 2023, started routinely until a delivery truck arrived at the gate.
“I asked my dad if they were supposed to be there, and he said yes, so I let them in. The truck was big, so I had to open both gates,” Maretta recalled. But as she was closing the gates, an SUV sped through, missing her by “millimeters.”
Maretta says she quickly tried to secure the gates, but more vehicles arrived.
Her father, Noah Van Beck, who witnessed the event, added, “Before she could close the gate, another SUV parked there so we couldn’t shut the gates.”
“One guy ripped the gate out of my hand to let more people in,” explained Maretta. “Then guys just came in from everywhere.”
Union representatives flood site
According to the Van Becks, dozens of individuals wearing hard hats and vests flooded the site, shouting accusations and distributing papers.
“They all had these sheets that they were handing out,” said Maretta.
Noah explained that for weeks prior, union representatives had disrupted the site, alleging unsafe work conditions and unfair wages—claims he described as unfounded.
The situation escalated when Maretta ran into a trailer on the site to retrieve her phone and begin recording the incident. It was then that she found herself trapped.
“When I tried to get out, I couldn’t. I started panicking, my eyes filled up with tears, and I looked out the window. There were two grown men blocking the door so I couldn’t leave,” she said.
Maretta says she was so overcome with fear and desperate to escape, she jumped out of a window.
“I have to get out of here because I don’t know who is going to walk in or what they’ll do,” she recalled thinking.
Video shows two men standing in front of the trailer’s entryway. One has his back pressed against the trailer’s door with his foot lodged against a railing. The other individual is standing right next to the man blocking the door.
After leaping out of the window and escaping, Maretta says the two men began taunting her.
“That usually happens when they’re illegal,” one of the unidentified men can be heard saying in the video. “Really? That’s my daughter,” Noah replied, according to the video.
“They were laughing hysterically, thinking it was all a joke, and I was just terrified,” she shared.
“What they were there for and why they came on the site, I don’t know,” stated Noah, who says most left when the Brooklyn Park police arrived.
No arrests were made, but the Van Becks said they are pressing charges.
Brooklyn Park Public Information Officer Elliot Faust confirmed to Alpha News that the case is currently open and in the pre-trial phase with the city attorney.
Industry leader criticizes union behavior
Adam Hanson, chapter president at Associated Builders and Contractors of Minnesota and North Dakota, was not present at the job site during the incident but offered his perspective on what occurred.
Hanson says that Minnesota state law permits union representatives access to construction sites only when they are directly involved in the project, or if one of their union members is working on the site.
“But they still have to follow work rules; they’ve got to check in and follow any job site’s specific rules,” he explained.
Hanson criticized the behavior captured on video, describing it as intimidation tactics by union leadership.
“It’s their leaders—it’s the Dan McConnell types—engaging in all this stuff,” he said. “It’s a shame that these hard-working union members’ dues are going to support this.”
Building Trades president and Walz administration appointee did not respond
Hanson identified at least two individuals from video stills of the worksite incident, including Dan McConnell, president of the Minnesota State Building & Construction Trades Council.
Alpha News reached out to McConnell for comment but did not receive a response.
Hanson identified another individual who stormed the worksite as Tim Sturdivant, a Metro Area Business Agent for Local 633 and a Walz administration appointee serving on the state’s Apprenticeship Advisory Board.
Alpha News reached out to Sturdivant for comment. However, he did not respond.
PTSD and night terrors
Since the incident, Maretta, now 20, says she has been struggling with PTSD and frequent nightmares that leave her shaken.
“Just two nights ago, I woke up sweating because I had a dream that I was trapped again,” she shared. “I always think back about what I could have done differently to protect the job site or protect my dad. Could I have shut the gate a little faster or thrown myself out a little more? But I was just so afraid I was going to get hit.”
She added, “I wake up from these dreams, and I’ll be shaking because I’m back in that little job trailer, trapped and unable to get out.”
Alpha News reached out to the Brooklyn Park City Attorney and the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry for comment but did not hear back.
Jenna Gloeb
Jenna Gloeb is an Edward R. Murrow Award-winning journalist, media producer, public speaker, and screenwriter. Most recently, she worked as a reporter and on-air host for CCX Media. Jenna is a Minnesota native and resides in the Twin Cities with her husband, son, daughter, and two dogs.
