The malfunctioning elevator that killed a man in a Lower East Side residential tower on New Year's Eve is still malfunctioning, despite it being supposedly fixed over the weekend. "That particular elevator was cleared just 48 hours ago, and people got stuck in it again yesterday,” tenant Daisy Paez told the Daily News. "We live in a 26-story building where people have become hostages in their own homes."
Firefighters were reportedly called to the building to free the trapped tenants on Monday. Wavecrest Management, which oversees the building at 131 Broome Street, did not immediately respond to request for comment.
25-year-old Stephen Hewett-Brown was fatally crushed on New Year's Eve when the crowded elevator stalled near the third floor at about 11:30 p.m. Hewett-Brown was reportedly helping people climb out of the elevator when he was killed. Witnesses said he hoisted one woman to safety and wished her a happy New Year moments before the elevator rapidly jolted downward, crushing him between the roof of the elevator and the floor.
The building is co-owned by the city and the Archdiocese of New York’s Catholic Charities; it's one of three towers built in the early ’70s as part of the city’s Seward Park Urban Renewal Area. “We’ve been asking the archdiocese and the city for new elevators for years,” one tenant told the Post earlier this month. "These are death traps. The archdiocese has connections, they had tens of millions of dollars to fix this place. But they never replaced the elevators. Where did the money go?"
News of the most recent malfunction came as the City Council introduced legislation on Tuesday that's intended to better regulate elevator maintenance companies, requiring them to be licensed by the Department of Buildings. There is currently no state or city law requiring elevator companies or individuals to obtain licenses to perform elevator maintenance.
Earlier this month, state Senator Daniel Squadron and Assemblyman Keith Wright, from Harlem, called on the state senate to pass legislation requiring licensing. Such a bill has passed four times in the state assembly since 2011, but has been blocked by the senate every time, The Villager reports. According to Squadron's office, the State Elevator Safety Act "increases and formalizes licensure and regulation for elevator workers statewide. The bill would provide baseline worker credentials, as exist for many trades, to ensure better training and help provide safety assurances."
The City Council's bill, sponsored by Council Member James Vacca and others, would not require the licensing of individual elevator technicians—only one technician per contractor. "That’s not enough," says union organizer Michael Halpin from the Local 1 IUEC. "If one person in a household has a driver’s license, that doesn’t mean everyone else in the house is qualified to drive. Similarly, every elevator technician must be licensed to safely perform their work."
Still, Vacca argues that it's better than nothing, which is all that seems to happen in Albany anyway. "It is unfathomable that there are still no requirements for elevator maintenance and repair companies to be licensed," Vacca said in a statement announcing the bill. "Since the State has still not acted on implementing elevator maintenance licensing state-wide, it is incumbent on the New York City Council to pursue our own legislation. Most people use elevators on a daily basis and they should be assured that the elevators have been worked on by competent professionals who meet the necessary standards of ability and knowledge."
