A woman died late Monday evening after falling into an open manhole along a busy street in New York City, officials said.
Officers responded around 11:20 p.m. to a report of a person who was in need of medical assistance near the corner of Fifth Avenue and East 52nd Street in Midtown Manhattan, a spokesperson for the New York City Police Department (NYPD) told NTD via email on Tuesday.
Upon arriving at the scene, police found a 56-year-old woman "unconscious and unresponsive" inside the uncovered maintenance hole in the street.
The NYPD spokesperson said emergency medical services responded to the scene and transported the woman to the nearby NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, where she was later pronounced dead from her injuries.
Local media footage from the scene appears to show the black SUV parked roughly a foot away from the manhole. Several police officers and utility workers can also be seen standing around the opening as ambulances block a portion of the street.
Authorities did not release the woman's identity following the incident, pending notification of next of kin. However, her family members told ABC 7 that she was Donike Gocaj of Briarcliff Manor.
There was no immediate explanation as to why the manhole had been left uncovered, and the cover was ultimately found about 15 feet away from the opening. Local utility company Con Edison told ABC 7 that there hadn't been any ongoing construction at the time the incident occurred.
Con Edison said it is also looking into how the incident occurred.
"We are deeply saddened to confirm that a member of the public has died after falling into an open manhole," the company said in a statement. "Our thoughts are with the individual’s family, and safety remains our top priority."
Gocaj's official cause of death will be determined by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Officials said no arrests have been made at this time, and the investigation remains ongoing.