New York University Student Rescued After Being Wedged Between Buildings

New York firefighters rescued a New York University student who had been trapped between two buildings in lower Manhattan. ABC News reported that the student may have been trapped for up to two days.

The student, now being identified as 19-year-old Asher Vongtau, was reported missing Saturday around night after last being seen Saturday morning around 7 am after a false fire alarm in his dorm according to CBS News. The report continued on to say that one of Vongtau’s friends, Colin Chenel, had seen him “frantically running up the stairs while people were exiting the building because the fire alarm had been pulled.”

According to ABC News, Vongtau was found wedged in a coffin-sized space between a 17-story NYU dormitory building and a parking garage. The report continued on to say that Vongtau was stuck at the ground floor and that the rescue took nearly an hour-and-a-half. While it is still unclear as to how the student became stuck between the two buildings, authorities say that the only way for him to have gotten into the space was from above.

CBS News stated that an NYU spokesperson told reporters that Vongtau was reported missing to the school’s Public Safety Department Saturday night and NYU immediately began a search, though friends of the student continue to claim that campus security did nothing until Sunday afternoon. The report continued on to quote Michael Yablon telling WCBS the following:

“Had we not told the security guards, the three of us 19-year-old students, to check the roof, they would not have found him for who knows how long and he would probably be dead right now.”

Authorities say that after the students suggested to check the dormitory’s roof, they discovered Vongtau’s cell phone, which then led to them discovering him in the small space. CBS News reported the school saying the following in a statement:

“The circumstances of how the student came to be in this space are unclear to us. We are glad that student was found and rescued, pleased that his condition was such that he was able to remain conscious and alert during the rescue, grateful to the FDNY and NYPD for their quick response and excellent work, and proud of our Public Safety officer for looking in what would have been an unlikely spot for a student to be.”

ABC News stated that Asher Vongtau was taken to Bellevue Hospital and is said to be in stable condition at the current moment.

[Image via Twitter]