Two Men Nearly Drowned in an Elevator in Staten Island This Weekend

Of all the secret fears and weird city-living superstitions we have -- getting hit in the head by an air conditioner as we walk down the street; falling or getting pushed into the subway tracks -- drowning in an elevator was not one of them...until now. On Sunday, Edward Tyler and Windell Admaker were working in the former Staten Island Hotel in Graniteville, which is being converted to an assisted-living facility. Riding in the elevator, they found it wouldn't open. They took it down to the basement, which had become flooded due to all of the rain, and it "sank to the bottom of the shaft," reports the New York Times. Yikes.

Further yikes: Water started to fill the elevator, and the men were alone in the building, so no one could hear them yell. They did have a cellphone, and called the Fire Department; they were able to give the nearby cross streets of their location before their service cut out.

When firefighters finally found them, about an hour after their initial call, the two men were standing atop the plastic cart they had been using to transport supplies between floors. Even with the cart's added height, the water was up to their necks, and about three feet from the elevator's ceiling, Captain Melvin said.

The men were very happy to be rescued, and were okay. Adding insult to injury, however, the water might have been sewer water. They were allowed to clean up in the firehouse.

Bring an umbrella today, and steer clear of flooded basements. There's a flash-flood warning in effect until 9 p.m.

2 Rescued From Water Neck-High in Elevator [NYT]

[JDoll / @thisisjendoll]

Go to Runnin' Scared for all our latest news coverage.