50 Patrons Rescued From Stuck New Jersey Casino Elevators

Firefighters came to the rescue after dozens of people got trapped in elevators at an Atlantic City, N.J., casino over the weekend.

The Press of Atlantic City reports elevators got stuck in two separate incidents at Revel that occurred less than an hour apart early Sunday. Fifty patrons were rescued overall, and no injuries were reported.

In both cases, city firefighters guided the patrons up ladders and through dark elevator shafts to safety.

The first call came about 1:30 a.m., with 22 people trapped inside an elevator. Approaching the elevator from floors above, rescuers cut off power before prying open the doors and sending a 35-foot ladder down the shaft.

Four firefighters with safety harnesses then descended onto the cars, attached ropes to the patrons and aided them up the ladder.

“I’m sure a lot of the people weren’t crazy about climbing up a dark ladder in an elevator, and not in a nice environment with all those cables and grease,” Atlantic City Fire Chief Dennis Brooks told the newspaper. “They were probably scared if the elevator moves. They were probably a nervous wreck. Our guys did a pretty good job assuring them they’ll be all right.”

Another elevator with 28 people became stuck a short time later, and a similar rescue played out.

Authorities are still trying to determine why the elevators got stuck. Brooks said there usually are about five or six elevator rescues in the city each year.