May 1, 2008 11:46 pm US/Eastern
NYC Man Trapped For 41 Hours In Elevator
Nicholas White Relives Weekend Nightmare In Elevator
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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Nicholas White recently sat down with CBS station WCBS-TV in New York City's Chris Wragge to discuss the 1999 incident when he was trapped in a NYC elevator for almost two days.
CBS
It is something most of us do several times a day almost without thinking – taking a ride on an elevator.
But for one man, that simple act turned into a nightmare. The elevator malfunctioned and he was stranded in it for 41 hours.
CBS station WCBS-TV in New York City recently sat down with Nicholas White as he took us through his ordeal – with every minute of it documented on security cameras.
"During the 41 hours I went somewhat crazy," White said.
That's right … 41 hours. For nearly two days, White was trapped in an elevator.
Coming back from a cigarette break, White was heading back to his 39th floor office. But then the elevator came to a sudden stop, and though he didn't know it yet, his life would never be the same.
"I pushed the bell … total silence," White said.
As the minutes passed, White said he was sure help would come, thinking someone must have heard the alarm or had been monitoring the camera.
In fact, White was so sure he was being watched in the elevator, he was on his best behavior.
"I didn't want to embarrass myself," he said. "I wanted to remain calm and collected and maybe by acting calm and collected I'd be that way
But by 11 p.m. Friday, White's cries for help had still gone unanswered.
"I'd open the doors and I'd shout up and I'd shout down," White said. "I'd tap in Morse code, I'd tap different beats."
He had no food and no water, nothing but a couple of Rolaids and three cigarettes. As the hours passed, White said he tried not to think about the very real possibility that he could die.
"The worst thing would be that I would dehydrate and not be around for my sister and mother," White said. "It would be devastating to them."
He tried to stay calm and get comfortable, but fitful sleep brought no relief.
"I'd wake up and I'd still be in the elevator," White said. "I'd be waking up into my nightmare."
And White tried not to give in to despair. He had little concept of time, but figured he may be trapped until Monday, when the workday world would come back to life and surely save him. He was losing hope.
"I'm actually defeated here," White said. "I've given up. There's nothing else I can do. I am like completely trapped."
Finally, after 41 hours, a guard sees his image and asks over the elevator intercom if someone is there.
"I jumped up and I said, 'Yes! There's someone in here,'" White said.
He was finally free, but the experience shook him to the core. Unable to work, White lost his job and his apartment.
But ask him who he places most of the blame on for the ordeal and White doesn't hesitate.
"Me," he said.
"I really think I let the thing affect me too much. I really should have gone straight back to work."
In fact, for nearly a decade (the incident happened in 1999) White let the elevator get the best of him. He is finally telling his story and he says by doing so, only now is he truly free.
White sued the building's owners, settling for an undisclosed amount. A spokeswoman for the owner said she deeply regretted White's ordeal, and that after the incident improvements were made.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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