Midtown Streets Closed After Work Site Elevator Breaks Down, FDNY Says

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — An elevator malfunction at a high-rise construction site near Columbus Circle caused police and fire officials to clear streets Wednesday afternoon near Broadway and West 58th Street, fire officials and witnesses said.

Firefighters responded to the site, located at 1790 broadway, around 12:04 p.m. when an elevator on the side of the building stalled on the 17th floor, an FDNY spokesman said. Nobody was inside the construction elevator when it malfunctioned, the spokesman said.

The FDNY initially responded to the scene for reports of falling debris, but a spokesman could not confirm that any debris had actually fallen from the building.

A witness near the scene said that police cleared pedestrians from nearby streets as emergency units responded to the scene.

A spokesman for the FDNY said officials "probably" shut down pedestrian and street traffic in the area but could not confirm the extent of the street closures. The Office of Emergency Management stated that West 58th Street was closed between Broadway and Seventh Avenue.

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