Tenants in Kensington are raising safety concerns about the two elevators in their 17-story building, calling it a “tragedy waiting to happen.”

“It is extremely rare to go one day without the elevators being broken,” said Molly Dobkin, a tenant.

“It is a little bit of a hair-raising ride on the elevators because you don’t know what floor it’s going to stop on,” said Kristin Mathis, another tenant. “It’s making these loud noises.”

Tenants said more than 300 people live in the complex on Ocean Parkway – some of whom are older adults, have disabilities or have small children.

Emma Manfredi, who lives in the building, said there was an incident this week, where people crammed into one working elevator.

“The doorman basically had to start operating like a bouncer,” said Manfredi. “He had to stop people from getting on and control how many people went up.”

Tenants said people get stuck inside, firefighters respond frequently and elevator mechanics make daily repairs. “We know them now personally because they’re here so often,” said Manfredi.

When News 12 visited the building, one elevator worked but made loud noises between floors.

Tenants said the other elevator was repaired right before News 12 arrived.

“Maybe they’ll fix the elevator in the morning, but in two [or] three hours, it’s broken again,” said Manfredi.

A Department of Buildings spokesperson said they sent an inspector after News 12 left, and both elevators were working, but they’re issuing a summons because one stopped on every floor.

The complex has had at least 15 elevator violations in the past four years, according to the DOB.

A building employee told News 12 that the elevators date back to 1964, replacement parts are hard to find, and they’re working to replace the entire system.

News 12 asked the super, who only identified as Peter, about the issues.

“I cannot fix this, OK?” said Peter. “If you have any questions, please contact the office.”

Weinreb Management responded with the following statement:

"Management is well aware of the ongoing elevator issues at 455 Ocean Parkway. Rather than continuing to patch aging equipment, we have committed to a full replacement of both elevators in the building. We have engaged VDA Associates, a specialized elevator consulting firm, to prepare specifications and oversee a competitive bidding process. Bids from qualified elevator contractors are due this week, and we expect to move forward with a contractor promptly.

We understand the inconvenience our residents have experienced and share their frustration. That is precisely why we made the decision to invest in brand-new elevators rather than continue with repeated repairs to equipment that has reached the end of its useful life.

We are committed to keeping residents informed as the project progresses."