In a bizarre incident in midtown Manhattan, a man found himself trapped inside a steel-reinforced concrete jewelry vault overnight, with firefighters initially unable to rescue him due to safety concerns. Luckily, the vault was equipped with a timer and opened by itself on the following morning, allowing the man to escape.
The ordeal began when the New York City Fire Department was summoned to the midtown building at 580 Fifth Avenue, known as the World Diamond Tower, which houses various jewelry businesses. The man had become trapped while trying to access his safe deposit box, as Assistant Fire Chief John Sarrocco explained.
Around 8:45 p.m. the previous evening, the incident unfolded when the man was reaching into his safety deposit box inside the vault, and an employee inadvertently closed the vault doors, unaware that someone was still inside. The vault had a timed lock mechanism, which meant it automatically locked after a certain time and remained sealed until the next morning.
Don Palmieri, from the Gem Certification Lab, commented, “I usually use that vault; it’s huge, so I can understand how it happened. He was probably spending a little too much time inside going through the contents of his safe deposit box.”
The fire department and police were in direct contact with the man inside the vault and were able to observe him via security cameras. They also maintained communication through telephone lines. The vault had sufficient ventilation, thanks to its HVAC system, ensuring the man’s safety.
Sarrocco mentioned that the fire department’s rescue units possessed the necessary tools to breach the vault’s 30-inch steel-reinforced concrete walls if the situation had escalated further.
