TORONTO – Toronto police have issued a public safety alert after a man was arrested and charged with tampering with an apartment building elevator.
The warning comes as Ontario’s 1400 maintenance workers at four big elevator companies walked off the job nine days ago due to a contract dispute.
It the most recent arrest, it is alleged that the accused responded to a repair job at an apartment building but was never assigned to it by the elevator company.
He was still given access to the elevator room and proceeded to alter the operating functions of two elevators in the building.
A 57-year-old Toronto man has been charged with mischief and mischief interfere with property.
Police say the name of the accused is not being released because they are still conducting investigations into other similar incidents.
Authorities want to remind the public to stay vigilant around elevators and report any suspicious activity they see.
This includes looking out for people trying to force the elevator doors open from the hallway, someone prying or forcing the buttons on the operating panels inside or outside elevators, or people riding the elevators with an assortment of tools trying to gain access to the roof or ceilings.
The TTC recently issued warned customers that elevator service at various TTC stations could be affected during the strike.
At many TTC stations, elevators are the only means wheelchair users have to travel between floors.
The TTC advises customers that there is a contingency plan to deal with broken down elevators but warns that malfunctioning elevators could be out of service for longer than usual.
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