HUD official Lynne Patton, others get stuck in NYCHA elevator

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NY) - HUD regional administrator Lynne Patton got a real-life taste of the problems in public housing when she and several other people got stuck in an elevator at the Douglass Houses in Manhattan on Tuesday.

The FDNY rescued the elevator's occupants after about 15 minutes. Patton, who is staying at the Douglass Houses this week, thanked "New York's Bravest" for their help and lamented that the FDNY had to deal with the problem.

NYCHA reportedly said the elevator was overloaded, not broken.

Indeed, Patton was in the elevator with at least eight other people, including members of the media.

"This particular elevator is new. I do believe we overloaded it," Patton told the New York Post. "So I am not going to blame [NYCHA]."