Officials Demand NYCHA Elevator Vigilance

In last week’s Gazette, we reported the tragic death of 5 year old Jacob Neuman, who fell to his death while attempting to exit a malfunctioning elevator in the NYCHA run Taylor-Wythe Houses at 70 Clymer Street, in Williamsburg. Immediately following the August 19th incident, Community Board 1 District Manager, Gerald Esposito, sent a letter to NYCHA Chairman, Tino Martinez, demanding an immediate investigation into the cause of the accident, inspections of elevators in all NYCHA developments in our district, and that a report of their findings be provided to CB 1.

Following the Esposito letter, on the 21st, NYC Councilmember David Yasskyjoined with Congressman Ed Towns, Assemblymembers Joe Lentol and Vito Lopez, State Senator Marty Connor, and Councilmembers Eric Dilan and Rosie Mendez, in calling on NYCHA to conduct a full evaluation of all elevators that serve public housing buildings.

Greg Floyd, President of Local 237 Teamsters, which represents housing authority employees, attributed the poor elevator inspection rate to “the chronic underfunding of NYCHA over the last several years.” Floyd calls the accident “an appalling example of the federal government’s failure to meet its obligation to fund public housing.”

Although, officials recognize NYCHA’s budgetary constraints, in an August 21st letter to Hernandez, the officials asked that NYCHA develop a prioritization plan, making sure the worst elevators are moved to the front of the line, and to present this plan to the City Council, this year, along with full cost estimate laying out what it would take to repair all NYCHA elevators. Yassky called the move a practical, low-cost measure that NYCHA could take right away to start addressing the problem.

In addition to the Community Board and local elected officials, Brooklyn District Attorney, Charles Hynes, has assigned the Rackets Division, headed by Michael Vecchione, to investigate the circumstances that led to Neuman’s death.