NYC Man Trapped in Jewelry Vault Abandoned by Firefighters, But Was Saved By Steel Container's Timer

An NYC man was trapped inside a jewelry vault overnight. However, firefighters had to abandon the poor guy because of safety concerns.

Luckily, the man was saved by the steel-reinforced container, allowing him to survive the incident.

A Vault in New York City — NYC Man Trapped in Jewelry Vault Abandoned by Firefighters, But Was Saved By Steel Container's Timer Brock Wegner on Unsplash

But, how did the jewelry store's customer end up in that situation?

NYC Jewelry Vault Traps Man Overnight!

According to The Guardian's latest report, the incident happened at the World Diamond Tower in Manhattan, New York City. This midtown building houses numerous jewelry stores.

But, the building's employees weren't expecting that a 23-year-old man was going to be trapped inside a jewelry store vault on Tuesday, Oct. 24.

Although authorities didn't provide the exact reason why the vault locked the man, John Sarrocco, the assistant fire chief of the New York City Fire Department, said that the guy was trying to access his safe deposit box.

After that, the jewelry vault suddenly closed, trapping the man inside for 10 hours. The People reported that firefighters worked overnight trying to free the man.

At first, NYPD and FDNY made efforts to rescue the trapped man. They used special tools to break through the vault's 30-inch concrete walls. But, when they were able to reach the steel plating, responders decided to halt their rescue attempt.

This is because they were concerned that their tools could harm the man trapped inside the vault.

"The problem with the plating is we'd have to use our torches, which would affect the environment for that person inside the vault," explained Sarroco.

Luckily, the steel container's timer saved the man by opening at around 7:00 a.m. local time on Wednesday, Oct. 25.

NYC Man Saved by Vault's Timer

NYC Man Trapped in Jewelry Vault Abandoned by Firefighters, But Was Saved By Steel Container's Timer Jason Dent on Unsplash

John Sarrocco confirmed that the jewelry vault opened on its own because it had a timer that was set in the next morning.

"The vault opened on its own, it's on a timing mechanism and he just was released from the vault," he explained.

Sarrocco added that the NYC man was doing fine. He also said that the customer was already being evaluated by the emergency medical service (EMS).

This latest incident in Manhattan is a serious one since getting trapped inside metal vaults in banks, jewelry stores, and other similar establishments can be life-threatening.

For those who are wondering, USA Safe and Vault explained that a person can survive for around 17 hours inside a steel-reinforced, airtight room, such as the vault at the World Diamond Tower.

Those who are locked inside these metal vaults for more than 72 hours can die. This means that if you get trapped inside a metal vault during a 3-day weekend or when the bank is closed for business, there's a chance the authorities will not know your situation, which could endanger your life.

There are many reasons why you can die if you get trapped inside a vault for 72 hours or so. These include suffocation and dehydration.