New York — A man spent more than nine hours trapped inside a bank vault overnight in midtown Manhattan.
The vault was finally opened with an automatic timer at about 6:15 a.m. Wednesday, setting him free.
The customer was entering his safe deposit box in the basement of the Diamond World Tower at 580 Fifth Avenue, when the doors closed and he was stuck at around 8:45pm on Tuesday.
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Posted by CBS New York On Wednesday, October 25, 2023
The community vault is owned by DGA Security and used by a number of Diamond District businesses, FDNY officials said.
“Once it’s closed, it’s on a timing mechanism. That vault doesn’t reopen until a certain amount of time has passed,” department head John Hodgins told reporters at the scene.
Watch the FDNY’s update on rescue efforts
Firefighters tried to break through the basement’s concrete wall, but once they hit the metal sheets, they decided to wait until it opened automatically in the morning.
“The problem with the paint is that we would have to use our torches in there, which would injure the person’s environment inside the basement,” Hodgins said.
The crew used a phone and cameras inside the basement to communicate with the man at all times and make sure he was okay. He was later treated by EMS at the scene and released without any injuries.
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