Possible cause of death after grandmother experiences 'worst death ever' falling into manhole in New York

A possible cause of death has emerged after a grandmother suffered what a medical examiner described as the "worst way" to die after falling into a manhole in New York.

Donike Gocaj, 56, tragically passed away on Monday night (May 18) after stepping out of her Mercedes-Benz SUV and falling into an uncovered maintenance hole near West 52nd Street and Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, directly outside the Cartier mansion.

According to police, Gocaj fell around 10 feet into the hole shortly before 11:20PM.

Authorities said steam from below caused her to suffer cardiac arrest. She was rushed to the hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.

City medical examiners are still investigating her official cause of death, but experts have long warned about the terrifying dangers hidden beneath New York’s streets.

A former medical examiner spoke about a manhole death in a book

Former city medical examiner Judy Melinek previously spoke about the gruesome death of a bartender who passed after being thrown into an open manhole during a fight in 2002.

Writing in her 2014 book Working Stiff: Two Years, 262 Bodies, and the Making of a Medical Examiner, Melinek described how the victim, referred to under the pseudonym Sean Doyle, screamed for help from inside the steam tunnel as rescuers struggled to reach him because temperatures had climbed to 300 degrees.

The author wrote that Doyle’s body temperature was still 125 degrees when it was recovered four hours later.

She believed the victim had been "steamed like a lobster," with layers of skin peeling away and internal organs cooked by the extreme heat.

"The worst nightmares I ever had in my two years at OCME," Melinek wrote, "came after I performed the postmortem examination of Sean Doyle."

Investigation underway into missing manhole cover

Gocaj’s devastated family told WABC they were shocked by the sudden tragedy.

Con Edison, New York City’s electric utility provider, is now investigating how the maintenance hole was left uncovered despite there being no nearby construction work.

It is suspected that the cover may have been knocked loose after being struck by a truck, per The Guardian.

"We are deeply saddened to confirm that a member of the public has died after falling into an open manhole," Con Edison said in a statement. "We are actively investigating how this occurred.

“Our thoughts are with the individual’s family, and safety remains our top priority," he added.

Featured image credit: Facebook/Donika Gocaj