A military veteran and father of six has died following a workplace accident at a steel plant, leaving his fiancée and young children grieving an unimaginable loss.
Jonathan Stepp, 28, was killed Thursday at the Cleveland Cliffs Burns Harbor Plant in Burns Harbor, Indiana, a northwestern Indiana town located near Chicago.
Stepp was identified in social media tributes shared by loved ones, as well as by IUOE Local 150, the union of which he was a member.
According to the union, Stepp was operating a pot hauler when the accident occurred. The heavy industrial vehicle is used to move and dump containers carrying molten slag.
Authorities have not released further information about the incident or what may have led to the fatal accident.
Stepp worked for Phoenix Services, a contractor hired by Cleveland Cliffs to provide industrial services at the Burns Harbor facility. Phoenix Services is owned by SunCoke Energy Inc.
SunCoke Energy spokesperson Sharon Doyle said in a statement to Our News Outlet: ‘Thursday night, we suffered the tragic loss of one of our employees at our Burns Harbor, Indiana operations.
‘Our hearts are with his family, and we are supporting them and our team during this difficult time.
Stepp was a second-generation member of the IUOE Local 150 union and an operating engineer. He and his fiancée are pictured with their six children
Stepp’s fiancée said she is a stay-at-home mom and has been left to care for the couple’s six children without an income at the moment. The couple is pictured together
‘The safety of our employees is our highest priority. We have been in contact with Indiana OSHA and are fully cooperating with the agency, local authorities, and emergency responders to investigate the incident.’
The spokesperson did not address Our News Outlet’s questions about what may have caused the accident.
A spokesperson for Cleveland Cliffs, the company that operates the plant where Stepp died, likewise did not share more details about the accident and merely said: ‘A formal investigation into the incident is underway.’
According to a statement released by IUOE Local 150, which called Stepp a ‘brother’ and ‘one of our own,’ he was a second-generation member of the union and an operating engineer.
On his Facebook page, Stepp described himself as ‘Proud to be Union, Proud to be a Veteran, but most importantly, Proud to be a Father.’
Stepp’s fiancée, Sierra Knoll, said on Facebook that she is a stay-at-home mom who has been left to care for the couple’s six children without any income at the moment.
Stepp leaves behind his fiancée, Sierra Knoll, and their many children. The couple is pictured together
The fatal workplace accident occurred at the Cleveland Cliffs Burns Harbor Plant in Burns Harbor. Stepp was an employee of Phoenix Services, a contractor at the plant
Stepp’s union said he was operating a pot hauler at the time of the accident. The vehicles are used to move and dump containers of molten slag. Such a process is pictured (stock image)
Stepp described himself as ‘Proud to be Union, Proud to be a Veteran, but most importantly, Proud to be a father.’ He is pictured with two of his children
Jonathan Stepp, 28, a military veteran and father of six, died in a workplace accident at a steel plant in northwest Indiana on Thursday
A GoFundMe organized on Knoll’s behalf by a friend said the mother ‘is going through an unimaginably painful time.
‘In the midst of that heartbreaking grief, she is also caring for her children and doing everything she can to keep life moving forward for her family.’
‘As if that loss were not enough, Sierra is also facing needed home repairs after a recent storm caused damage to her house. Right now, she is carrying emotional pain, financial stress, and the day-to-day needs of her household all at once,’ the fundraiser added.
