There were slightly over 600 reported “elevator entrapment” incidents between 2015 and 2025, an average of about 5 per month, in several buildings across the Charles River Campus, according to Boston University Police Department crime logs.
BUPD logged 94 elevator entrapments at Warren Towers, a residence building in BU’s Central Campus, over the 10-year period, more than any other address on campus.
In early 2025, BU began its renovation of Warren Towers, which is estimated to cost $550 million and be completed in 2028.
BU’s Expanded Project Notification Form from 2024 for the Warren Towers renovations shows modernized and upgraded elevators, with a full replacement of the hoist machine, motor, controls, fixtures, door equipment and wiring.
“As part of the Warren Towers renovation, BU will fully replace the elevators, and the escalators are scheduled for a full replacement this summer,” Cavallario wrote.
BUPD also responded 52 times to Student Village I, 35 times to Student Village II and 28 times to Claflin Hall, one of three West Campus residence buildings, during this time frame.
Leigh Smith, an inspection coordinator at Keystone Elevator, a Massachusetts-based elevator maintenance firm, said there are many factors that can cause an elevator to stop or require constant service calls, such as the age of the elevator.
The elevators in the three Warren buildings were originally installed in 1966 and renovated between 1996 and 2001, with the Marshall Tower, or Tower B, receiving new door equipment in 2020.
Smith said if an elevator is starting to show signs of shutting down, but is still functioning, some owners keep the elevator running until the issue “really needs to be addressed.”
While elevators must comply with current codes, they are not required to be upgraded immediately, as long as they can pass inspections and continue to operate well, Smith said.
Rachel Cavallario, BU’s vice president of public relations, wrote in a statement to The Daily Free Press that the University contracts Otis Elevators, an elevator and escalator manufacturer, for preventive maintenance and to meet inspection requirements.
The media contact for Otis Elevators did not respond to multiple interview requests.
The Daily Free Press was unable to obtain exact maintenance records from BU Facilities Management and Operations to cross-reference elevator maintenance and inspection details.
Among the five BU properties with the most elevator incidents, Boston Fire Department logged 83 incidents in which firefighters had to respond.
The incident with the largest number of people trapped in one elevator occurred at Student Village II, with 14 people trapped in an elevator late April 27, 2019, after their elevator stopped 4 feet short of the second floor.
On October 23, 2016, also in Student Village II, 10 people were trapped for 40 minutes inside a stalled elevator before being rescued by firefighters.
On July 10, 2018, the BFD wrote in an incident report that the elevators inside Student Village I didn’t align with new regulations — but were legally allowed to continue operate — and lacked access keyways, which are keyholes installed on elevator doors that allow firefighters or maintenance staff to unlock the doors from the outside.
Elevator entrapments are an issue at multiple universities across the U.S.
The Louisiana State University police department responded to 17 elevator entrapment calls during the first two months of the spring 2026 semester, according to The Reveille.
The University of Vermont reported 553 elevator malfunctions in 623 days, according to the Burlington Free Press.
The Emerson College police department rescued six students who were stuck in elevators in the first few months of the fall 2018 semester, according to The Berkeley Beacon.
