Atlantic City Casino Elevator Rescue: 14 Trapped For 6 Hours, Officials Say

Fourteen people were trapped for more than six hours last weekend in an elevator in Atlantic City, authorities said Tuesday. The 14 were trapped at the Tropicana Casino & Resort Sunday, and had to be pulled with ropes from 100 feet down to safety, according to the union representing Atlantic City firefighters.

Firefighters responded to the Tropicana at 1 a.m. on a reported stuck elevator with occupants who had been trapped for several hours, according to the union.

Upon arrival, the firefighters determined that 14 individuals were stuck in a "blind shaft" elevator. Atlantic City Fire Department special operations used a rope rescue and haul system to haul the 14 trapped occupants more than 100 feet to safety.

The elevator had stopped between the sixth and seventh floors. “The next opening wasn’t until the 15th floor, so when we began extrication operations it took a considerable amount of time to get each occupant out,” ACFD Chief Scott Evans told CBS3.

Each person had to put on a harness so they could be lifted up, according to the report, and each trip took about 15 minutes.