BY KERRY BURKE, GREG B. SMITH, OREN YANIV and LARRY McSHANE
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS
Tuesday, August 19th 2008
The elevator that claimed the life of a 5-year-old Brooklyn boy on Tuesday failed its most recent inspection and malfunctioned five times since February, city records show.
The troubling history emerged after little Jacob Neuman – trying to escape after the elevator stalled between floors – plunged 10 stories as his older brother watched helplessly.
“My brother! My brother!” 8-year-old Israel Neuman screamed over and over after a neighbor freed him from the deadly elevator.
Unscheduled stops were a frequent problem for the elevator, with the city Housing Authority reporting five between-floor stoppages in the past six months. The elevator received its “unsatisfactory” rating last Oct. 3.
Investigators were also checking into the last time the elevator was repaired, and whether it was part of a backlog of elevators needing work.
The Orthodox Jewish boy fell to his death just before 9 a.m., minutes after he and his brother left the family’s 11th-floor apartment on their way to school, police said. Read More.