Stuck between buildings, NYU student rescued, hospitalized

(UPI) -- A student at NYU was rescued Monday after he spent two days stuck in a narrow shaft between an on-campus dormitory and a parking garage.

Rescue workers broke through the wall to free Asher Vongtau, 19, who apparently fell from the roof of the 17-story dorm sometime Saturday. He was taken to Bellevue Hospital in serious condition with a fractured skull, pelvis and arm.

“He was pretty weak, but he was able to say hi,” said Vongtau's mother, Habiba Vongtau, after speaking to him on the phone. “I asked, ‘Are you in pain?’ He said the he is, but it’s nothing he can’t handle.”

Vongtau was found around 5 p.m. Sunday night, and was freed after an hour and a half. Campus security found his phone on the roof and contacted police, who found Vongtau.

Friends said Vongtau was last seen about 7 a.m. Saturday, during a fire drill at the dorm. One student said he had been seen going up the stairs.

“I was one of the last ones to see him,” said student Michael Yablon, 19. “He left my room at 7 a.m. Saturday. I texted him later that day, but he never responded.”

Yablon said when he hadn't heard fro Vongtau by Sunday, he went to security with his concerns.