NEW YORK: An employee of a New York billionaire’s family spent the weekend stuck in the elevator of the family’s Manhattan townhouse before she was rescued on Monday, officials said.
The homeowners spent the weekend away and discovered the woman was trapped when they arrived back home on Monday, according to the New York Times.
The townhouse is owned by Warren Stephens, the head of the Little Rock, Arkansas-based financial firm Stephens Inc, who according to Forbes is Stephens is worth an estimated $2.6 billion.
Firefighters who rescued the woman stuck between the 2nd and 3rd floors learned from people at the scene that she had been stuck in the elevator since Friday, Chris Berke, a spokesman for the New York City Fire Department, said by phone.
He did not release the woman’s name.- Reuters
Frank Thomas, a vice president at Stephens Inc, said in a statement the incident was being investigated “and appropriate measures will be taken to ensure that something like this never happens again.” – Reuters
“The employee involved has been a valued member of the Stephens extended family for 18 years,” Thomas said without identifying her.
The woman was in good condition when paramedics took her to the hospital, Berke said.
A New York City Department of Buildings inspector went to the property on Monday after learning that someone had been trapped in an elevator, but was denied access to the building, Abigail Kunitz, a spokeswoman for the agency, said in an email.
The department issued a violation to the building for failure to provide access to inspectors, Kunitz said. – Reuters
