Broken elevator in Pelham Parkway apartment building leaves elderly tenants stuck in apartments
The only elevator at 1055 Esplanade Ave. is out of service, leaving elderly tenants stuck in their apartments.
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The elevator at 1055 Esplanade Ave. is not in service, leaving tenants no choice but to climb the stairs to get to their apartments.
News 12 spoke with Ana Velazquez, an elderly tenant whose leg is injured.
She uses a walker and said the staircase is not an option for her.
Velazquez said she feels "angry and sad" when asked about her situation.
She hasn't left her fifth-floor apartment in three weeks, when usually she goes outside daily.
Velazquez said maintenance has been misleading, telling News 12, "He said tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow and tomorrow never comes."
Her daughter Juliana has been taking time off work to help around the house.
"There's only one elevator in this building and it's constantly breaking down for weeks. They fix it, then it goes back to the same situation maybe three weeks later," said Juliana Velazquez.
She said her mom missed four doctor's appointments because she couldn't get out. She told News 12 she knows other elderly tenants in the building who are stuck in their units, and that they deserve better.
"It's not fair for them. They want to be outside. They have doctor's appointments. They have to go food shopping. They want to enjoy like everyone else who can go up and down the stairs. They can't. They're stuck here," said Juliana.
News 12 reached out to AGM Management. Someone who declined to give her name said the elevator company is working to fix the break coil and that it will take a couple of days to fix.
She said the elevator should be back up and running next week. She also claims the elevator has only been out for a week, while multiple tenants claim it has been longer.
