Woman dies after falling into open manhole in Midtown Manhattan

A woman stepping out of her Mercedes-Benz SUV in the heart of Midtown Manhattan fell about 10 feet into an uncovered manhole, a death that now raises hard questions about who was responsible for securing the opening and why no barrier kept pedestrians away from it. Family members identified her as Donike Gocaj, 56, of Briarcliff Manor in Westchester County.

Police said Gocaj had just parked near West 52nd Street and Fifth Avenue, close to 563 Fifth Ave., just before 11:20 p.m. on Monday, May 18, 2026, when she stepped out of the vehicle and into the open manhole. She was found unconscious and unresponsive inside the maintenance opening and was taken to NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead. Officials said no construction was underway at the intersection.

The details point to a breakdown in basic street safety. The manhole cover was found about 15 feet away from the opening, and the family later told CBS News New York that there were no cones, warning signs or barriers around the hole. In a dense commercial corridor lined with luxury retail and heavy foot traffic, the absence of even temporary warnings left an exposed utility access point in the path of anyone exiting a parked car or walking along the curb.

Con Edison said it was "deeply saddened" and was actively investigating how the incident occurred. NYPD investigators and the city medical examiner were also working to determine the official cause of death. The central question is not only how the cover came off, but who was supposed to ensure the opening stayed secured and whether existing inspection or notification procedures failed before a pedestrian was killed.

That question matters far beyond one block of Fifth Avenue. NYC311 says a manhole cover is meant to prevent people or objects from falling into the opening, and Con Edison says manholes are access points to underground electric, gas and steam systems that are expected to remain covered or otherwise secured. The death of Donike Gocaj exposes how quickly a routine utility opening can become a lethal hazard when oversight breaks down in one of the city’s busiest corridors.