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Sep. 29--The weekend death of a New Jersey finance executive, the second person in 13 months to die after falling from an escalator at the Pier Shops at Caesars, was ruled accidental yesterday by Atlantic County officials.

James Vellanti, 42, of Clinton, N.J., died early Sunday after falling more than 30 feet at the Pier, an Atlantic City mall connected to a casino by a sky bridge. Escalator deaths are extremely rare in the United States, averaging about two a year.

Vellanti was the chief operating officer of JNF Asset Management L.L.C., a hedge fund in New York City. He graduated from West Chester University in 1990 with a bachelor of science degree in business administration.

"We're going through a rough time here today," said a man who answered the phone at Vellanti's home in Hunterdon County. The family did not wish to comment, he said.

Yesterday, the Atlantic County Medical Examiner's Office ruled that the manner of Vellanti's death was accidental and the cause was multiple traumatic injuries suffered in the fall. The results of toxicology tests were pending.

The Pier was built to resemble a cruise ship, featuring 70,000 square feet of neon signs and graphics, and is home to 90 retailers including Burberry, Tiffany's, Stuart Weitzman and Louis Vuitton. A dozen restaurants and nightclubs are on the third floor, including Stephen Starr's Buddakan and Patrick Lyons' Game On!

"We are incredibly saddened by this event," said Karen MacDonald, a spokeswoman for Taubman Centers Inc., which owns the Pier. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family."