Worker Injured After Falling Down East River Tunnel Vent: FDNY

MIDTOWN, NY — A worker was injured after falling down a ventilation shaft owned by Amtrak, according to officials.

At around 6:45 a.m. Monday, a worker was injured after falling down a ventilation shaft, according to the FDNY.

First responders had to rescue the worker from the Fifth floor of the shaft, officials said, and the worker was treated at the scene.

While fire officials said that the ventilation shafts were owned by the surrounding NYU Langone Hospital, hospital officials clarified that those structures are not part of the hospital at all, despite being nestled deep into the property.

Those ventilation structures actually serve the 114-year-old East River Tunnels and predate any building on the block. The ventilation buildings have forced the hospital to build around them ever since University Hospital — the precursor to NYU Langone— was first built in 1963.

The two tunnels, which carry LIRR and Amtrak trains and is owned by Amtrak, were heavily damaged over a decade ago in Superstorm Sandy and are slated for a massive rehabilitation project slated to begin next year and last until 2027.

Amtrak did not respond to requests for comment.