By Hannah Nicol
A 25-year-old building caretaker was killed after being pinned by a descending elevator in Balut, Tondo, Manila, on Thursday, July 2.
Police identified the victim as “Jhon,” caretaker of a building at the corner of Rodriguez and Nepa Streets in Barangay 141.
Investigators said the caretaker had been inspecting a narrow area between the elevator shaft and a nearby water tank. With no protective barrier separating the two spaces, he allegedly failed to notice the elevator moving downward.
As the car descended, it pressed him against the structure, leaving him fatally trapped.
Authorities reported that his body was discovered around 9 a.m. by a witness who had been asked to check on him.
The witness first found the access between the fourth and fifth floors locked from inside.
Shortly after, the elevator door opened, revealing the victim lifeless in the maintenance room beside the shaft.
The victim was last seen alive by his girlfriend at around 7 a.m. inside a room in the building. His sibling expressed shock, saying they had just spoken to him the previous day.
The building owner has offered to shoulder funeral expenses, though the Manila Police District (MPD) noted that any liability will depend on the outcome of the ongoing investigation.
