Boy, 16, Falls To Death Down Elevator Shaft In Abandoned Staten Island Hospital
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A 16-year-old boy is dead after falling seven floors down an elevator shaft on Staten Island late Friday.
As CBS2's Matt Kozar reported, investigators said the boy -- identified as Marcos Castillo -- was with his friends when he fell seven stories down the shaft in an abandoned building at 100 Castleton Ave., in the Tompkinsville section of Staten Island.
The building had once been a hospital, but has been abandoned for 36 years, officials said.
"It's very dangerous," said FDNY Battalion Chief James Boylan. "Nobody should be in there."
The FDNY was called to the scene around 4:40 p.m., and Castillo was unconscious when they arrived, officials told CBS2.
Boylan said when firefighters also found signs of forced entry when they arrived.
"It was sealed from the first floor, but it appears as though some people had breached one side of the building to get in," Boylan said.
The building was once Staten Island Hospital, which closed its doors in 1979. Graffiti now covers the exterior, all of the windows are broken, and the building is shrouded in weeds and overgrowth.
It was unclear what Castillo and his friends were doing at the dilapidated building, but other teens said it is a popular spot to hang out and explore.
"They're pretty much going in; they're doing drugs," said Justin Juarez. "If it's abandoned, obviously it's dangerous and you shouldn't be in there."
Tammy Walker lives across the street from the abandoned hospital.
"They should have security; have a guard or have someone patrol the area every so often, because as soon as school is out, this is where people hang out," Walker said.
It is all too easy to gain access to the facility, Kozar reported. He and his crew found multiple entry points all across the hospital.
Castillo was taken to Richmond University Medical Center with head trauma, and was later pronounced dead at the hospital, officials said.
