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'I feel like I'm a hostage.' Elevator outage leaves senior citizen trapped in her Bed-Stuy apartment

D'Java Conwell said the elevator stopped working on Oct. 6 and has since filed two dozen complaints with 311 and called the buildings management several times hoping for a resolution.

Nadia Galindo

Dec 18, 2025, 5:56 PM

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A Bed-Stuy senior citizen with disabilities is calling for action after living with an elevator outage for more than two months that's left her trapped inside her apartment.

D'Java Conwell said the elevator stopped working on Oct. 6 and has since filed two dozen complaints with 311 and called the buildings management several times hoping for a resolution.

"I feel like I'm a hostage," she said. "It's been two months, we haven't gotten anything done as of yet."

A manager with Northeast Brooklyn Housing Development Corporation disputed Conwell's claim and said the elevator has only been sporadically out of service since Thanksgiving.

He said flooding in the elevator pit caused by sewage backup and tree roots in pipes are the cause and said the issue would be fixed in a few days.

A spokesperson with the Department of Environmental Protection confirmed DPS crews have been to the building several times and found that "an inside condition" is causing the flooding.

A Department of Buildings spokesperson said they issued a violation for the elevator outage on Dec. 1 and planned to do follow up inspections in the coming days.

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