A woman is recovering Tuesday after falling 20 feet down an elevator shaft at a Brownsville church.

The incident happened at 15-28 Pitken Ave. Witnesses say the woman opened the elevator doors and went to step inside, but the elevator wasn?t there. EMS removed the victim from the shaft, treated her on the scene and brought her to the hospital, where she is in stable condition.

Some churchgoers say regular worshippers know that the elevator in the building is broken. They believe garbage at the bottom of the shaft cushioned the woman?s fall.

The victim is visiting from the Bahamas for a retreat in the borough. Residents say the woman is staying with her son at the building, but the retreat is in a different location.

There is no word from the Department of Buildings if there were any code violations.