Overview
- A 56-year-old woman, identified as Donike Gocaj of Briarcliff Manor, fell about three meters into an open manhole after exiting her SUV near Fifth Avenue and 52nd Street on Monday night and was pronounced dead at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell.
- Responders found the manhole cover displaced roughly 4.5 meters from the shaft with no visible cones, barriers or active work at the site, and Con Edison has said it is actively investigating the circumstances.
- Official inquiries are under way by Con Edison, the NYPD and the New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to determine cause, responsibility and whether safety or permitting rules were breached; no arrests have been reported.
- Eyewitnesses described the fall as sudden and said bystanders tried to rescue Gocaj while EMS and FDNY crews transported her to the hospital, where she was later declared dead.
- Missing or unsecured manhole covers are a recurring New York City safety issue, with the Department of Environmental Protection receiving more than 700 related 311 reports so far this year, a background that may shape expected reviews of inspection and signage practices.