Trapped between floors: Fairfield Fieldstone Apartments tenant says elevator's emergency help button failed
News 12 observed no signs posted on the first and third floors indicating the elevator was out of service on Monday.
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A Farmingdale woman says a routine elevator ride turned into a frightening ordeal when she became trapped between floors inside her apartment building and claims the elevator’s emergency help button failed to connect her to anyone who could help.
Tara Broderick says she was taking the elevator Thursday night at the Fairfield Fieldstone Apartments in Farmingdale when it suddenly stopped between the first and second floors.
“I was down here, and they were kneeling and they had to put their hands in,” Broderick said. “I was like if it’s my time, it’s my time, but they pulled me right out.”
Broderick says she repeatedly pressed the elevator’s emergency help button, but instead of reaching assistance, she says she got a voicemail message.
“I pressed the button a couple of times, three or four times,” she said. “It goes to a voicemail that says something along the lines of, ‘We’re sorry, nobody can help you right now.’”
She says calling 911 became her only option. Firefighters from the Farmingdale Fire Department eventually arrived and helped pull her from the elevator after she says she was stuck for about 15 minutes.
News 12 observed no signs posted on the first and third floors indicating the elevator was out of service on Monday.
“This tape was here from the fire department, but otherwise nobody would know,” Broderick said.
Broderick says she submitted two complaints to management. She says residents later received a message stating a technician would inspect the elevator the following day, followed by another message saying a replacement part was needed. Nearly four days later, she says there have been no further updates.
Neighbor Rina Bellavia says the outage has already caused disruptions.
“This is like my lifeline to the outside world,” Bellavia said. She also told News 12 she missed a doctor’s appointment on Friday and fears she could miss another one later this week. But beyond the inconvenience, she says she is deeply concerned about the reported emergency button failure.
“When the button was pressed, nobody reacted to that,” Bellavia said. “Now if the person for some reason didn’t have their phone with them, they could have been stuck there for who knows how long.”
News 12 reached out to Fairfield Properties by phone and email to ask when elevator service will be restored and whether repairs are planned for the emergency help button, but had not received a response as of Monday afternoon.
