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A New Jersey resident who formerly lived in Israel, Praport was born in Poland into a large extended family, relatives told the Los Angeles Times.

During World War II, family members were deported to concentration camps, including Auschwitz, with Praport emerging as the sole survivor.

The Praports were celebrating their 54th wedding anniversary with a trip to Los Angeles when the fatal accident occurred.

Before moving to the United States in the early 1980s, the Praports and their two sons lived in Israel, where Leon Praport owned a business in the fish processing industry,

The only other recorded Angels Flight accident occurred in 1913, when a woman was injured jumping off the funicular.