Infant Dies After Falling Down Coney Island Elevator Shaft, Police Say

CONEY ISLAND, BROOKLYN — A 6-week-old baby is dead after a freak accident at a high-rise building in Coney Island on Thursday morning, according to the New York City Police Department (NYPD).

A 21-year-old mother was waiting for the elevator on the 23rd floor of 3415 Neptune Ave. that morning, police said, and accidentally pushed the stroller forward when the door opened — not realizing the elevator car was not there. The baby girl and the stroller fell down into the shaft and the infant was killed, police said.

The child, Areej Ali, was taken to Coney Island Hospital where she was pronounced dead, police said.

The medical examiner will determine the official cause of death, and the NYPD is still investigating the incident.

The building at 3415 Neptune is cited for a host of violations on the city's Department of Buildings website. Most damningly, records show the building's two elevators were last inspected on Aug. 3. On that date, an unspecified defect was found with one of the two elevators. It is unclear whether the landlord ever addressed the defect.

Pictured: 3415 Neptune Ave. Image via Google Maps