Not sure but they may be behind drop panels with the light fixtures. According to the article w/ the video, they're only accessible from outside the car (bolted shut).

Makes you wonder if he had a cell phone. The obvious assumption is no, or we wouldn't have heard about this. Another reason I consider my cell phone is part of my EDC and more than electronic handcuffs!

(Now if I can convince my wife to take hers everywhere!)

Hmm,

I wonder if thirteen rounds of 45 acp is enough to perforate the roof panel such that I can brute a hole out the top regardless of what's bolted and how? Maybe that and the can opener blade on my Leatherman Wave?

Other than that, I don't often bring a breaching charge with me in public.

In any case, were I stuck in an elevator, I pity the fool who has to come and repair it after I am done with the thing. Also, more pity for the butthead that either decided not to include a monitored alarm system on the car, or the one who chose to ignore my gesticulations for two days.

You should. Nothing says, "May I come in?" like a bit of C4.

-Blast

The article said he didn't. He was just taking a quick smoke break just outside the building, so he only planned on being gone a matter of minutes.

I've visited these large NYC office buildings on weekends on many occasions. They're deserted. Sure, there are some people around but they're totally scattered throughout the building. And even if someone heard the alarm when they were taking the elevator themself, I have to admit that it would be very easy to assume that the building management had it covered and just not say anything. This story reminds me that we shouldn't assume that, even in a big, fancy office building with 24-hour security in the lobby.

I'm not nearly as good at blowing things up as you are, but my common sense and logic tells me that if you are gonna touch off come C4 inside of your elevator car, you'd better put your fingers in your ears. Waaayyyy in...

Wrong adjective. I get uncomfortable if there are 20 people in a 30x20 room with me. A crowded elevator I can deal with so long as I can see that the walls aren't really pressing in on me, and I can still turn around and the take the stairs. In the dark, full of jostling people, I know that elevator is going to squeeze down size of a juice box.

Some people "know" that every airplane is going to crash and everyone will die. I "know" that elevators are really economy sized caskets.

You should know by now that I rely more on reflexes than common sense.

Oh wait, I'm forty now. Maybe counting on reflexes isn't such a good plan anymore

-Blast

This seems like one of the few instances where a pry-bar style knife would be useful in an office environment. All things being equal, it seems like it would be easier and safer to pry open the doors then to climb around on top. Still, I think its safe to say the best thing you could carry after a cell phone, would be a water bottle, a couple of gallon sized freezer bags and a book. And from the article ear plugs. He was apparently having bad experiences from the alarm bell ringing for hours on end.

Strangely, my reflexes, which have always been pretty quick, have stayed that way. I may not be able to hear the starting whistle, but with any other signal I am fast off the mark. Much faster than the norm, according to the various online reflex tests I have taken...