Overview

• The 23-year-old victim became trapped in the vault at the World Diamond Tower in midtown Manhattan while trying to access his safe deposit box; the door locked behind him due to a timing mechanism.
• Firefighters attempted to breach the 30-inch steel-reinforced concrete walls of the vault but had to stop after reaching the steel plating over fears that their rescue attempts could harm the individual trapped inside.
• The vault was set on a time-lock system to open at the start of business the following day, leading the FDNY to decide to wait until the system released the individual.
• Fire and police department personnel maintained communication with the trapped man via a telephone line and security cameras inside the vault throughout the ordeal.
• Despite the hours-long endeavor to break through the vault walls, the trapped man was eventually freed unharmed when the vault's time-lock opened as scheduled at around 7 a.m.