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News

Woman falls to her death in open Fifth Avenue manhole in Midtown Manhattan

Donika Gocaj, 56, parked near West 52nd Street late Monday and vanished into an uncovered Con Edison utility hole 10 feet deep

2 min read·Updated May 20, 2026
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A 56-year-old woman died after stepping into an uncovered manhole in Midtown Manhattan late Monday, authorities said.

Gocaj, a resident of Briarcliff Manor, New York, had pulled her Mercedes-Benz SUV up to the curb at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and West 52nd Street, and the moment she stepped out, she dropped roughly 10 feet into an uncovered opening, according to NBC News. When police arrived after a 911 call, they found Gocaj at the bottom of the hole, unconscious and unresponsive. Gocaj was transported to New York Presbyterian Hospital, where doctors pronounced her dead.

At the time of the fall, the Con Edison manhole was emitting steam, authorities said, according to NBC News. According to ABC News, investigators believe exposure to the steam triggered cardiac arrest. The city's medical examiner has not yet issued an official cause of death.

Surveillance footage reviewed by Con Edison showed a multi-axle truck rolling over the manhole cover and knocking it loose. Gocaj pulled up to the curb at that same spot roughly 12 minutes after the cover was displaced, according to CBS News. According to ABC News, the displaced cover turned up approximately 15 feet away, and the area had no active construction.

"While this is a rare occurrence, manhole covers can get displaced by heavy vehicles," Con Edison said in a statement. "Our thoughts remain with her family, and safety remains our top priority."

According to CBS News, Gocaj's daughter-in-law said the area around the open hole had nothing marking the hazard — no cones, signs, or barriers of any kind. Eyewitness Carlton Wood told CBS News that Gocaj gave no sign of being distracted in the moments before she vanished into the hole. "She closed the door behind her, and one step forward, I guess in the direction she was trying to go, and she just disappeared," Wood told CBS News.

According to CBS News, Gocaj's family reported that she left behind a son, a daughter, and two grandchildren.

According to ABC News, Mayor Zohran Mamdani's office indicated that multiple city agencies have joined Con Edison in coordinating the emergency response and pursuing a thorough investigation. "Every question must be asked and answered so that no New Yorker experiences a tragedy like this again," the mayor's office said. According to CBS News, the NYPD has not identified any criminal conduct and considers the matter still under investigation.

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