The six-week-old granddaughter of Brooklyn’s Salah Ali passed away. At 10:40 a.m. the infant’s 21-year-old mother was entering what she thought was an elevator car when the stroller with her baby inside fell eight stories down an empty shaft on Thursday, Oct. 13.
The mother pushed the stroller into the elevator on the 23 floor. The elevator was actually stuck between the 22nd and 23rd floors, so the baby dropped a few feet down onto the top of the car and pushed the car down to the 15th floor before coming to a halt. It’s where rescue workers found mom and baby Areej Ali.
It’s being reported by media that this Brooklyn apartment building has had dozens of elevator violations over the past 15 years. They also reported that the building has a history of residents complaining about broken elevators and other maintenance problems. As recently as September 30, residents reported the elevator was not working.
The building located at 3415 Neptune Avenue in the Sea Gate section was built in 1974 and stands 24 stories tall and contains 335 apartments.
The NYPD and Buildings Department are investigating the baby’s death. The Buildings Department is also checking maintenance records and previous repairs made to the elevator.
“Our inspectors will remain on scene to conduct a full investigation into this tragic accident. We will be testing all of the elevators in the building to ensure they are operating safely,” a Buildings Department spokesperson tells ABC 7.
“It’s terrible but I’m not surprised,” adds a resident named Diana. “There are a lot of problems with the elevators, people get stuck in them all the time.”
Although there were no signs posted, police believe the elevator was out of service at the time of the incident.
Ali says his son and daughter-in-law are heartbroken over the loss.
“He’s in bad shape. That’s his first child, only child.”
