A 30-year-old man was crushed to death by an elevator at a New York high-rise on Aug. 22, police said.
Sam Waisbren, 30, was pinned by the elevator between the basement and first floor of the building on Third Avenue on the East Side of Manhattan, according to Det. Sophia Mason, a police spokeswoman.
Emergency medical personnel pronounced the man dead at the scene after a 911 call, Mason said.
Police said the man appeared to be leaving the elevator at the first floor when it plunged and pinned him between floors.
Video shows moment man crushed by elevator at Manhattan Promenade building https://t.co/cJDd19IKCT pic.twitter.com/THbRTFuwzt
— New York Post (@nypost) August 22, 2019
“He was a wonderful young man,” said his father, Charles Waisbren, reported the New York Post. His son, he said, worked in software sales.
The father added: “He had millions of friends out in New York. He was loved by everybody.”
The family is now “absolutely devastated” by their loss, he said.
The Post uploaded a video of the gruesome incident. (Warning: graphic footage.)
The city Department of Buildings said in a statement that it was investigating and “will take all appropriate enforcement actions.” Inspectors were at the scene.
“Elevators are the safest form of travel in New York, due to the city’s stringent inspection and safety requirements,” the statement said. “We’re determined to find out what went wrong at this building and seek ways to prevent incidents like this in the future.”
The building, known as Manhattan Promenade, is listed online as a 23-story luxury rental in the Kips Bay section of Manhattan.
There was no immediate comment from the property manager.
A New York man has been crushed to death by an elevator at his luxury Manhattan apartment building. The gruesome accident happened at a 3rd Avenue high-rise with a history of maintenance problems. #7NEWS pic.twitter.com/a1GkCIr4cN
— 7NEWS Brisbane (@7NewsBrisbane) August 23, 2019
900-Pound Safe Crushes Burglar to Death
In related news, a police said an Indiana man found an intruder dead in his home—trapped under his family’s 900-pound safe.
Officials at the Marion Police Department said in a statement that George Hollingsworth found the body of the would-be burglar on Wednesday, March 13, “lying underneath an antique floor safe.”
Hollingsworth made the grisly discovery a day after he first reported the break-in to police.
“My mind couldn’t comprehend it. This can’t be real. It’s like some strange tale,” the man told Fox59.
Press Release.
تم النشر بواسطة Marion Police (Indiana) في الخميس، ١٤ مارس ٢٠١٩
‘I’m Thinking — He’s Dead’
The homeowner was checking his property—located about 70 miles north of Indianapolis—to determine what had been stolen after the robbery and was “cleaning the clutter in his garage.” That’s when Hollingsworth discovered his safe—which was suspended by a floor jack—had been knocked over.
“Upon further inspection Mr. Hollingsworth found a body lying underneath the safe,” the police said.
“I came in and told my wife, ‘I think we’ve got a dead body out there.’ She thought I was kidding,” said Hollingsworth, according to Fox59.
The man’s wife called 911.
“The officer walked in and said, ‘Buddy. Hey buddy,'” said Hollingsworth. “I’m thinking he’s dead. Come on now.”
The fire department had to be called to lift the safe and remove the man’s body, according to the police.
Hollingsworth said even if the burglar had succeeded in stealing the massive safe, it would have been pointless.
“There’s nothing in it. It’s empty. It’s just one my dad had,” he said. “What a horrible way to die,” he added, according to Fox59.
The identity of the deceased man has not been released, pending notification of family members, the Indianapolis Star reported.
The CNN Wire and Epoch Times reporter Jack Phillips and Tom Ozimek contributed to this report.
