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Six Tourists Rescued After Being Stuck in 875 N. Michigan Elevator in Chicago

It had been about an hour since the elevator suddenly stopped on 16 November 2018 at 875 N. Michigan, the former John Hancock Center, two of its cables broken and six people trapped inside. All they knew was they were somewhere between the 95th floor and the lobby of Chicago’s fourth-tallest building.

Another hour or more would pass before firefighters knocked through a brick wall on the 11th floor and helped the tourists to safety early Friday. Fire officials reported no injuries among the group, which included a pregnant woman.

Crews were called to the building on North Michigan Avenue around 12:30 a.m. and were told a group of people had left the Signature Room but their express elevator had quit running before reaching the ground floor. The elevator was in a "blind shaft" with no openings firefighters could use to reach it.
“We didn’t know what their location was at that time,” Battalion Chief Patrick Maloney told reporters.

They finally located the elevator near the 11th floor. At least two of its cables were broken but safety systems were in place. “It’s not in an unsafe situation,” Maloney explained.

Still, “it was a pretty precarious situation” to get the people out, he said. “We had to breach a brick wall.”

Crews hoisted each person through the opening. One woman was pregnant. One person had a history of panic attacks. But no one appeared to be in any medical distress, he said.

“They were very gracious,” Maloney said. “They were from out of town, visiting this great city.”

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CTBUH