What was supposed to be a quick elevator ride at Fairfield Fieldstone Apartments in Farmingdale turned into a tense stall-out between the first and second floors, with the emergency help button offering no real help at all. Tenant Tara Broderick says she was stuck in the elevator car for about 15 minutes until crews from the Farmingdale Fire Department got her out. Neighbors say the situation has shaken their confidence in the building’s safety systems and left them frustrated over spotty updates while the elevator remains shut down.
Broderick told News 12 she hit the elevator’s emergency button “three or four times” and was met with a voicemail that said, “We’re sorry, nobody can help you right now.” With the in-car system failing her, she says dialing 911 became her only option. Firefighters arrived and freed her after roughly 15 minutes, according to the outlet. The incident has some residents openly wondering whether the building’s safety equipment is being tested as often and as thoroughly as it should be.
Other tenants report filing complaints with management and getting a message back that a technician would check the elevator the next day and that a replacement part was needed. Nearly four days later, residents say they still had not received any follow-up. “This is like my lifeline to the outside world,” neighbor Rina Bellavia told News 12, adding that the outage already caused her to miss a doctor’s appointment. Broderick says she has submitted two complaints to building management since the entrapment.
How inspections and owner duties work in New York
Outside New York City, elevator safety is handled locally, with village and town building departments responsible for enforcement, while the New York State Department of Labor licenses elevator mechanics and sets inspection standards for lifts and other conveyances. The state requires that elevator work be performed by licensed contractors and keeps a searchable list of licensed businesses, according to the New York State Department of Labor. Within that framework, building owners are typically the ones who must schedule regular inspections and maintain documentation so local officials can check that everything is up to code.
What tenants can do now
Tenants worried about whether their elevator is safe can ask building management to provide the most recent inspection certificate and can file a complaint with their village or town building department if they believe maintenance is falling short, according to the Village of Hempstead code. Fairfield Properties lists both the Farmingdale community and corporate contact details on its website for residents who want to follow up directly. In an emergency, if a building’s in-car help system does not connect, residents are advised to call 911 if they are trapped.
Residents at Fairfield Fieldstone say they want clearer timelines and more straightforward communication while the elevator is down. News 12 previously reported that it reached out to Fairfield Properties for comment and had not heard back. Until a fix is in place and the elevator is back in service, tenants say they plan to keep pushing management for both repairs and routine testing of the safety systems they rely on every day.
