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Broken Elevators Leaving Seniors Stranded In High-Rise

CRAFTON (KDKA) - Arlene Matera is concerned for her safety and the safety of her neighbors.

She says they have been stranded in Noble Towers, a senior citizen high-rise that is an impressive nine stories tall.

As of 7 a.m. Saturday, the only two elevators for the entire building have been out of service, effectively leaving the residents with limited mobility trapped inside.

"The latest incident is the elevator on right broken for 12 days and now today the only elevator we have has been broken since this morning," Matera said.

When KDKA's Amy Wadas went to investigate the issue. She found repairmen working on the elevator, and it did work when they went up three floors, but it was broken again when she tried to leave.

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"It's a problem. We've been handed so many excuses that they need repaired, need replaced," Matera said.

Residents with limited mobility have been affected the most.

"I have a walker, I can't go up and down steps so when elevator's out I'm stuck," explained Donna Engelhardt.

She says at least one of the elevators breaks down all the time.

"Tuesday for bingo I was down there 45 minutes because elevator was broken," Engelhardt said.

"They broke at Christmas time, we had a woman stuck in the elevator," Matera said.

Arlene Matera says she's not giving up and sent an email to the apartment owner demanding answers.

"He came in my apartment and told met needed to stop calling people. If I don't stop calling people, he said the next call to police they were going to come and take me out of here," she said.

KDKA reached out to apartment management about the issue but they didn't want to comment.

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