New York City Lawmakers Call for Safer Elevators in Public Housing

In 2015, Olegario Pabon left his apartment for the last time. A routine elevator ride turned into a nightmare when Pabon stepped onto a lurching platform. He became trapped and jumped out, cracking his skull on the floor.

New York City lawmakers are working to ensure incidents like this never happen again. They want to revamp elevator safety in public housing.

"Elevator safety is an imperative we cannot sacrifice," City Council Member Jimmy Vacca said.

He and fellow councilman Ritchie Torres will introduce legislation that would force landlords to more closely inspect elevators. They said elevator problems like those at the Boston Road Plaza apartments, where Pabon lived, are not uncommon throughout the city.

The elevators at Boston Road had a long history of complaints before Pabon's death. This legislation would prevent this lack of communication, creating a new position in the Department of Buildings that would specifically oversee elevator maintenance in all of the group's properties.