A 56-year-old woman, identified as Donike Gocaj of Briarcliff Manor, died Monday night after falling into an open maintenance hole in Midtown Manhattan. The incident occurred shortly before 11:30 p.m. near the corner of Fifth Avenue and East 52nd Street, close to a Cartier store.
Police report that Gocaj had parked her Mercedes-Benz SUV next to the hole and stepped out of the vehicle when she inadvertently fell approximately 10 feet. Responding officers found her unresponsive at the bottom of the hole, and she was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.
Utility company Con Edison is investigating the accident. The company stated that while such occurrences are rare, the manhole cover had likely been displaced by a passing heavy vehicle minutes before the fall.
Relatives of the victim expressed shock and sadness while seeking more information regarding her death. The city's chief medical examiner's office will determine the official cause of death.