A Westchester County woman stepped into an uncovered manhole after parking her Mercedes-Benz outside the Cartier flagship store in Manhattan.

The incident happened at 52nd Street and Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan on Monday, May 18. The 56-year-old woman plunged into the manhole after stepping out of her SUV around 11:20 p.m. near Cartier.

Police responding to a 911 call found the woman unresponsive inside the manhole about 10 feet down.

The 56-year-old woman stepped out of a car and fell into the open manhole, police say. >> https://t.co/dhhOq33OSn pic.twitter.com/uVP9VJRJwS

— CBS New York (@CBSNewYork) May 19, 2026

First responders lifted the unconscious woman out of the manhole and rushed her to New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.

The manhole was operated by Con Edison utility, police said. Con Edison workers were seen covering the hole after the woman was transported to the hospital.

A Con Edison spokesperson said the utility company is investigating why the hole was not covered.

“We are deeply saddened to confirm that a member of the public has died after falling into an open manhole,” a spokesperson told The New York Post.

“We are actively investigating how this occurred. Our thoughts are with the individual’s family, and safety remains our top priority.”

It’s not clear how long the manhole was uncovered or why the woman parked there. The Cartier store was closed at that time of night and there were no open bars nearby.