Grandma Plunges to Her Death After Stepping Out of SUV and Falling Into Open Manhole Outside Cartier
A night in Midtown Manhattan turned into an unimaginable horror after a grandmother stepped out of her SUV and vanished into an uncovered manhole just steps from one of New York City’s most famous luxury stores.
The victim, identified as 56-year-old Donike Gocaj of Westchester County, died after falling roughly 10 feet into a Con Edison utility hole outside the Cartier mansion near East 52nd Street and Fifth Avenue late Monday night.
The shocking accident happened around 11:20 p.m., right in the heart of Manhattan’s glittering shopping district.
According to officials, Gocaj had just gotten out of her parked Mercedes-Benz SUV when she suddenly plunged into the open hole.
Witness Carlton Wood told the New York Post that the horrifying moment happened in seconds.
“The minute she stepped out of that SUV, she closed the door behind her and only took a couple steps forward and just dropped into the hole,” Wood said.
Wood said Gocaj did not appear to be distracted or looking at her phone.
“You know, it was like in those cartoons. She just disappeared into the hole,” Wood added.
But what followed was no cartoon.
Wood said the woman could be heard screaming from inside the manhole.
“She was just in the hole, screaming that she was dying. Over and over she was like, ‘I’m dying, I’m dying,’” the witness recalled.
First responders rushed to the scene and found Gocaj unconscious and unresponsive inside the opening. She was pulled out and taken to New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, where she later died from her injuries.
Authorities said steam was coming from the hole at the time of the deadly fall.
Con Edison confirmed the tragedy in a statement.
“We are deeply saddened to confirm that a member of the public has died after falling into an open manhole,” a company spokesperson told the Post.
The utility company said it is now “actively investigating how this occurred.”
Police said the city medical examiner will determine Gocaj’s official cause of death.
The horrifying death has left the woman’s family stunned and demanding answers.
Relatives said there were no cones, no warning signs, and no barriers around the open manhole before she fell in.
There was also reportedly no active construction in the area at the time.
The missing manhole cover was later found about 15 feet away from the opening, raising more questions about how such a dangerous hazard was left exposed on one of the busiest and most high-profile blocks in New York City.
Gocaj’s family members appeared devastated as they spoke about the loss. Her social media accounts show she had at least two adult children and at least two grandchildren.
After the accident, her Mercedes was taped off while investigators examined the scene. The hole was later resealed, and the street reopened early Tuesday morning.
The tragedy is now putting fresh attention on Con Edison’s underground manhole system, which has been tied to several dangerous incidents in recent years.
Earlier this year, a manhole fire in Brooklyn forced nearly 200 residents out of a Williamsburg apartment building after smoke and carbon monoxide spread inside.
In 2024, another Brooklyn manhole fire engulfed an SUV on Thanksgiving Day and sent flames into a nearby apartment building, forcing evacuations and a major emergency response.
But for Gocaj’s family, the latest incident is not just another city infrastructure scare.
It is a nightmare that ended with a grandmother dead after taking only a few steps from her car in one of Manhattan’s most recognizable neighborhoods.
Leave a Reply