New York Man Dies After Falling Down Elevator Shaft

Police say a 35-year-old man moving into a Bronx apartment building died after he fell down an elevator shaft.

Police say Joseph Ryan and his wife were carrying a mattress when he stepped backward into an empty freight elevator shaft. He was rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Witnesses told the Daily News that Ryan, who works as an elevator repairman, had pried open the freight elevator earlier in the evening to help with the move.

The accident happened at about 11 p.m. Monday night.