Residents in a Fordham apartment building at 2615 Grand Concourse say their elevator has been broken for over a month, and many are stuck in their units due to not being able to climb the stairs.
"I'm stuck and it's terrible. I go from one room to the next. I'm always doing something because I can't just sit," said Mildred White, a fifth-floor tenant.
White told News 12 she has missed several doctors appointments and misses her daily routine picking up her grandson from school.
Her neighbor, Donna Williams, can climb the stairs, but said it's a great struggle.
"As soon as I got to my apartment, I threw up and I was coughing and it was like a sneeze or something that just got in my system, and it was horrible," said Williams, describing an instance where she was walking up the stairs to get home.
She lives on the sixth floor.
Williams told News 12 she ordered groceries to get delivered, but the delivery driver placed the bags downstairs in the hallway. She said those groceries were stolen.
She can't live without help from home aides, and she says she's losing hope.
Williams also said she hasn't done her laundry in a month because she can't bring her clothes up and down the stairs.
News 12 reached out to Parkash Management, and a spokesperson provided the following statement:
"We immediately responded when the elevator malfunctioned about three weeks ago. The company we contracted to troubleshoot the problem has identified and is searching for replacement parts needed to make repairs. However, the elevator contractor has cautioned that because this is an older model elevator, which is typical in aging buildings, the necessary replacement parts may no longer be available. Repairing the elevator would be quicker, but if we have to install a new elevator, that would be a lengthier process because elevators are complex pieces of machinery. One size doesn't fit all. We are being guided by our elevator contractor and as soon as we have a better sense of whether this will be a repair or a new installation, we will inform our tenants."
