Miguel Gonzalez, 59, was shoveling the steps at 333 E. 93rd St. — where many Mount Sinai doctors and residents live — when he slipped and fell through a plate glass window. Ida Siegal reports.
What to Know
Doorman Miguel Gonzalez died in a freak accident Thursday while shoveling snow in Manhattan
Authorities say he slipped, went through a window, and died from lacerations to his neck
His was the first death attributed directly to the major snowstorm that hit the tri-state region
The doorman at a Yorkville apartment building that provides housing for doctors and residents died in a gruesome accident Thursday morning after slipping while shoveling snow, family members and law enforcement sources said.
Miguel Gonzalez, 59, was shoveling the steps of the building at 333 E. 93rd St. -- where many Mount Sinai doctors and residents live -- when he slipped and fell through a plate glass window.
"I went to go finish [cleaning] my buildings when I noticed, I seen the ambulance," said Jonathan, who works in a building nearby. "When I came back, they were doing CPR and he fell."
The window caused what were described as "severe lacerations" to his neck, and he was ultimately pronounced dead at a local hospital.
Denise Rich, a resident of the building, said people called the always smiling Gonzalez "Uncle Mickey."
"He always had a big smile and a big hello," Rich said as she struggled to hold back tears. "Very positive, wonderful...just a happy soul. This was very tragic."
At their modest Bridgeport home Thursday, Gonzalez's wife of more than 30 years and his stepson told NBC 4 New York that he was a kind, loyal man who had been with the same company for 33 years.
"He was such a great man. Very humble. Hard worker," said wife Elena Gonzalez as she began crying. "Good with the family, he always was the supporter of the whole family in Puerto Rico."
"He'd open his house to anyone," said his stepson Rogelio Aponte. "He'd take the shirt off his back, he'd offer you anything. If he had it, you got it."
Gonzalez was planning to retire to his native Puerto Rico in the next two years.
The doorman's union, Local 32BJ of the Service Employees International Union, said he had worked at the building for many years.
"Our thoughts and prayers also go out to all members working hard to keep us safe during this blizzard and every day," Hector Figueroa, president of the local, said in a statement.
The doorman's death was one of the first related to the storm, which dropped nearly a foot of snow across much of the tri-state region and paralyzed transit and infrastructure.
Getty Images
NEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 9: A man walks across the Brooklyn Bridge in the snow, February 9, 2017 in New York City. Following a day of 60 degree temperatures, New York City is expected to receive significant snowfall throughout the day on Thursday. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
A group of people moved a car stuck in snowy conditions on I-95 Thursday morning.
A train arrives at the Bedford Hills Metro-North station Thursday morning. There weren't many passengers to greet it.
An SUV crashed on Route 35 in Ocean Township.
A tractor-trailer careened off I-287 in Westchester on Thursday morning.
Cabs moved slowly through Times Square Thursday morning as the roads turned slushy.
The NBC 4 New York Skycam captured a snowy scene on the Long Island Expressway, near exit 55, Thursday morning.
Passengers waited amid snowfall Thursday morning at the LIRR station in Deer Park.
Roads were snowy and slick as StormChaser4 approached the Tappan Zee Bridge on Thursday morning.
StormChaser4 traveled through the snowy, empty streets of Tarrytown Thursday morning.
Heavy snow began to stick to the roads as StormChaser4 left Tarrytown early Thursday.
Snowplows were getting ready to clear highways at the Vince Lombardi rest area in Ridgefield, New Jersey, early Thursday.
Eighth Avenue was covered in slush and snow outside the Port Authority Bus Terminal just before dawn.
Sleet made driving conditions in central New Jersey treacherous as day broke Thursday.
A snow plow crashed into a pole as it was clearing snow in Huntington Village Thursday morning.
A stiff breeze had the flags in Rockefeller Center at attention as the storm began to crank in New York City.
The Garden State Parkway was a sea of white near mile marker 115 as the sun rose Thursday morning.
The Hutchinson River Parkway in White Plains is fully coated by the winter storm.
Instagram User @justinstagreen
Instagram user @justinstagreen shared this photo from Times Square Thursday.
Instagram User @maximusupinnyc
Instagram user @maximusupinnyc shared this photo from the Brooklyn Bridge during Thursday's storm.
Instagram User @mariyamova
Instagram user @mariyamova shared this photo of New Yorkers trekking in the snow Thursday.
Instagram User @@betows1
Instagram User @@betows1 shared this photo of snow in the city Thursday.
Instagram User @chris7021
Instagram user @chris7021 shared this photo of the 7 train in the snow Thursday.
Instagram User @merrynerry
The city was covered in white Thursday. Instagram user @merrynerry shared this photo with NBC 4 New York.
Instagram User @bhushan_nyc
Snow blanketed NYC Thursday. Instagram user @bhushan_nyc shared this photo with NBC 4 New York.
Stefan Holt / NBC 4 New York
NBC 4 New York's Stefan Holt shared this photo on Instagram Thursday of snow falling in NYC.
Erica Davies
The only one at Rockefeller Rink today is Titan Prometheus, who's probably a little cold since he's under dressed.
Erica Davies
Pedestrians shield their faces from the snow as they make their way through Rockefeller Plaza.
Erica Davies
The weather has turned Rockefeller Plaza into a ghost town.
Erica Davies
Titus Prometheus isn't alone: he's got a bronze friend to commiserate with him in the snow.
Erica Davies
Trees were covered in white snow jackets along 49th Street Thursday morning.
Erica Davies
Flags whipped through the air as snowflakes and wind swirled wildly Thursday morning.
Erica Davies
It wasn't raining, but pedestrians made sure to keep the umbrella handy.
Erica Davies
Twigs on shrubs bowed out from the piles of snow that fell onto them.
Curtis Moore
One driver suffered an early wipe out on the New Jersey Turnpike this morning.
Getty Images
NEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 9: A family plays in the snow in Washington Square Park, February 9, 2017 in New York City. Following a day of 60 degree temperatures, New York City is expected to receive significant snowfall throughout the day on Thursday. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Getty Images
RONKONKOMA, NY - FEBRUARY 09: A man walks to the stairs as commuters head to work at the Ronkonkoma train station as a blizzard hits the New York Area on February 9, 2017 in Ronkonkoma, New York.Following a day of 60 degree temperatures, the Northeast is expected to receive a significant snowfall throughout the day. (Photo by Andrew Theodorakis/Getty Images)
