Riverdale Tenants Trapped as Elevators Fail at 3660 Oxford Ave., Violations Mount

The elevators at 3660 Oxford Ave. — home to a number of senior citizens and people with disabilities — have been out of order for two weeks. 

On July 18,  New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) inspectors posted a "cease use" order on the elevators — a legal notice prohibiting the use of equipment that poses an immediate safety risk. 

The building's owner, Weinreb Management, has a history of elevator-related complaints and code violations. 

Seventy percent of tenant complaints about the building mention elevators, dating back to 1997. Elevator-related DOB violations account for 77 percent of the total, as reported by the department. 

All violations have been resolved or dismissed, with the exception of three: two issued by the DOB on July 18 in conjunction with the cease use order, and one from 2023. 

Weinreb Management owes $5,000 in civil penalties for failure to correct "immediately hazardous" — as described by the DOB — conditions of the elevator two years ago. 

The management company did not respond to requests for comment. 

Thirteen flights up lives 81-year-old Carmen Lebron, who has barely left her house since the elevators gave out due to her two knee replacements. 

“I tried to leave one time last week, and I was practically bedridden for four or five days,” Lebron said.

She cancelled two doctors’ appointments, including one with a cardiologist.

“There’s no ventilation. The steps are very narrow … it’s very dangerous,” she added. 

Brenda Lebron-Santana, Carmen's daughter, has lived on the third floor for 17 years. Diagnosed with fibromyalgia, a chronic pain disorder, Lebron-Santana described climbing the stairs as excruciating. 

“Everywhere we’ve called to file a complaint or get some sort of advocacy has just redirected us to management or the [rent reduction] forms,” Gabriella Rivera-Lebron, Carmen's granddaughter, said. “That doesn’t solve the issue, and management has done nothing.” 

Rivera-Lebron said she is working to file a rent reduction request through the New York Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR)

Weinreb Management, a city-based property management company, is run by Jacob Weinreb. According to property records, he purchased the building in the early 1980s. 

Both Jacob Weinreb and Weinreb Management have encountered numerous legal cases, including a 2022 lawsuit by the City of New York for failing to correct more than  200 building safety violations. 

A memo posted in the lobby on July 10 from the management company thanked tenants for their patience and said it is working to get at least one elevator functioning soon.

Kevin Jardines, a resident for three years, said one of the building’s two elevators has been broken since spring, and the other constantly needs to be restarted. 

“Every single time a violation happens, they go and do some Mickey Mouse job to fix it," Jardines said. "As soon as the violation is ‘satisfied,’ they break down again and it’s the same thing all over."

Several residents heard the same story from contractors: The company that designed the elevator is no longer in business, making it challenging to find the pieces needed to repair it. 

PS Marcato Elevator, the contracting company, declined to comment. 

“The elevator is very old,” Radek Mroz, the superintendent for the last six years, said. “Now it’s time for a new one.” He added he has been in contact with management daily. 

On the same floor as Carmen Lebron is 88-year-old James Lynch,  also unable to leave his apartment. 

"I live alone," Lynch said. "I'm recovering from a recent hip operation and never quite finished my rehab." 

He called 311 after the second elevator broke down, but said there has been little help. Lynch’s 61-year-old son, who lives in New Jersey, climbs 13 flights to deliver his groceries. 

But, there is one resident who has made some progress pushing the issue forward. 

Joan Loughnane, 72, has lived on the 12th floor for more than two decades. She made contact with Teri Colon, deputy chief of staff for Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, and Al Rosenshein, account executive at Weinreb Management, via email. 

Loughnane shared the exchanges with The Press and several other tenants, which lasted about a week. 

Rosenshein cited a recent storm as the cause of elevator issues.

On July 11, he wrote, “We apologize for this terrible situation, but it was a rare occurrence that the window shattered, and all the rain got onto machinery. Our new elevator company is working on it every day to see if they can at least get one elevator operational.” 

Colon urged residents to file 311 complaints, contact DHCR, file housing court actions, and contact the West Bronx Housing and Neighborhood Resource Center.  She also called Weinreb Management, which said it is still waiting for parts. She added that Dinowitz recently sent a letter to the owner. 

A DOB spokesperson said meetings about repairs were ongoing this week. Still, it is unclear when the elevators will be fixed. But tenants are in desperate need of support. 

“Nobody is perfect,” Lynch said about management, “I just ask that they give us something — confidence, timelines, facts on what’s going on — to help us endure.”