Man trapped in jewelry vault overnight is freed when timer opens the chamber in the morning: Report

A man was trapped inside a steel-reinforced concrete jewelry vault in Manhattan overnight when firefighters were forced to abandon rescue attempts due to concerns for his safety, Fire Department officials said.

Luckily for the individual trapped, the vault was on a timer and opened on its own Wednesday morning, officials said.

FDNY responded to a call from the World Diamond Tower in midtown Manhattan on Tuesday evening, after a customer became trapped while trying to access a safe deposit box, Assistant Fire Chief John Sarrocco told the Associated Press (AP).

Emergency crews were in communication with the man inside the vault and could monitor his status on a security camera, the report said.

After about 10 hours of rescue efforts, Sarrocco said, the firefighters reached the steel plating and decided to hold off going any further, fearing their rescue attempts could harm the man trapped inside, according to AP.

“The problem with the plating is we’d have to use our torches,” he said, “which would affect the environment for that person inside the vault.”

The doors opened as scheduled at around 7 a.m. and the man was freed unharmed, Sarrocco said.