Woman And 3 Children Stuck In Roosevelt Island Manhattan Park Elevator For 10 Minutes Yesterday - Residents Having Ongoing Problems With Manhattan Park Elevator Service, Cabins Shake And Doors Take Long Time To Open

 Image of 30 River Road Manhattan Park Elevator Bank from Mark Lyon

Roosevelt Island's Manhattan Park complex has five 21 story building with over 1100 apartments in total. A Manhattan Park resident reports yesterday on elevator service problems at one of those buildings - 20 River Road:

In light of all the elevator problems happenening in the city, residents in 20 River Road (so called luxury building) are getting no answers from management on why their elevators have been out of service off and on since November, forcing tenants to either use the freight elevator that stops at every floor or have the elevators manually operated. When they are working, they shake or take a long time to open. Management doesn't return phone calls or send updates explaining this. DOB's website shows 2 complaints issued against this building for this reason.

It's a matter of time before someone gets hurt by their lackadaisical attitude.

I asked Manhattan Park management for a comment yesterday on the elevator situation but have not heard back yet.

Another Manhattan Park resident adds:

Yes, I live in building 20 as well, and the elevators have been an issue. I  actually had to explain to a woman on my floor that the elevators were out  of order, and she needed to call the Concierge to have them send one up. She was waiting for 15 minutes, and running late for a doctor's appointment, because she had no idea they weren't working. The only reason why I knew, was because my boyfriend left the apartment before me this morning and told me they were out (again). The last time we had this issue I took the stairs down 8 flights, which did not make me happy. If the elevators are out of service, the least management could do is put a sign on each floor indicating such, so tenants aren't standing there wondering why it's not coming. When they are working, the doors close very quickly, and don't have a very accurate sensor, which can cause serious injury if someone is trying to get on when the doors are closing. They start to close before people are even finished getting out... I agree, this isn't something that should be taken lightly, especially in the case of an emergency. 

And:

We constantly have elevator issues in 40 River Rd as well.  There seems to be a downed elevator frequently. 

This morning, I received an update from the original reporter:

just to update that yesterday afternoon they put the elevators back in service and a few hours later a woman and three children were stuck in the elevator for 10 minutes until authorities pried it open. One child became frantic. After that the woman got three calls from ... management, finally they call someone back.

Stay tuned.

UPDATE 6:10 PM - Received the following statement from Manhattan Park Management:

Dear Residents:

The safety of our tenants and their visitors are our primary concern at Manhattan Park. Building management responded immediately to assess the issue at 20 River Road and our elevator contractor and consultants are on site repairing the issue.

First and most important, we would like to ensure those living in and visiting Manhattan Park that the elevators’ safety systems are sound. We have, however, been experiencing issues with the dispatch control system. Although this issue in no way compromises rider safety, we are working as expeditiously as possible to address it and limit any inconvenience it causes.

We have distributed flyers throughout the building informing our tenants of the issue.

In addition to the repairs made in the short-term, we are planning a major rehabilitation to the elevator systems at all of the buildings in Manhattan Park. We expect to begin work later this year.

We regret any inconvenience the elevator system at 20 River Road has caused and encourage our tenants to reach out to building management with any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Manhattan Park Management