Person Falls Down Elevator Shaft In SoHo Building: FDNY

SOHO, NY — A person was hurt after falling down an elevator shaft near SoHo on Tuesday morning, the FDNY said. The incident in the Puck Building at 281 Mulberry St. was reported just after 8 a.m., a Fire Department spokesman said.

The person was taken to Bellevue Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, the spokesman said.

The individual, which the Department of Buildings identified as a man, fell down one-story after attempting to use an elevator door drop key to open the doors, according to DOB spokesman Andrew Rudansky. He walked in and fell down the empty elevator shaft to the basement, Rudansky said.

DOB said the man was not supposed to use the door drop key, which is for use by elevator technicians and emergency responders.

Rudansky said DOB found no issues with the elevator itself, but issued a violation to the building owner for "failure to safeguard the elevator."

First constructed in the late 19th century, the Puck Building is home to luxury penthouses as well as office and retail tenants including REI and Chef's Club. It is owned by the Kushner Companies, the real estate firm once helmed by Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser.

"There was an unfortunate accident at the Puck building by a vendor who was servicing the building," said Kushner Companies spokesperson Karen Zabarsky. "We are investigating the incident."

Sydney Pereira contributed to this report.