Infant Dies After Falling Down Elevator Shaft Of Troubled Coney Building

A six-week-old baby girl died Thursday morning after falling down an elevator shaft at a troubled Coney Island building.

The deceased child, Areej Ali, and her 21-year-old mother were waiting for an elevator on the 23rd floor of  3415 Neptune Avenue, a more than 300-unit affordable housing high-rise.

The elevator doors opened and the mother pushed the stroller, with child, inside, only to plummet six stories to the 17th floor, where the elevator was undergoing repairs.

Both individuals landed on top of the resting elevator. When officers arrived, they accessed the unconscious child through the 18th floor, and transported the infant to Coney Island Hospital, where she was pronounced deceased.

According to the New York Times, there have been nearly 20 complaints related to the elevators at 3415 Neptune Avenue — also known as Sea Rise Tower II — since January 2015. The building also has at least 50 open building code violations, four of which are for its elevators.

The Times was able to speak with a building resident, who said the elevators are notorious for malfunctioning.

“This isn’t a freak accident,” said a tenant on the 21st floor who gave his name only as Mike. “These elevators always have problems. And it’s been going on like this for 20 years.”