Two people were injured in elevator accidents at the Philadelphia Criminal Justice Center in Center City late Thursday morning, city officials confirmed Thursday afternoon.
"An elevator containing one passenger went through the ceiling of the elevator shaft at the Criminal Justice Center (CJC) building penthouse," read a statement from the Mayor's Office. "The cause is currently undergoing state investigation."
Earlier Thursday, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that one woman was found inside an elevator in the basement of the building at 13th and Filbert streets. Debris reportedly was found on top of the elevator car. The woman was taken to Jefferson University Hospital with no visible injuries.
In a separate elevator, a man was found on the 15th floor with injuries to his head and chest. He was taken to Hahnemann University Hospital and was listed in critical condition, according to CBS3.
The elevators involved in the incidents are not open to the public and are primarily used by judges, The Legal Intelligencer reported Thursday afternoon.
City officials said that when the elevator went through the ceiling, debris fell down onto another elevator below, which also contained one passenger. The Philadelphia Fire Department responded to rescue, treat, and transport the elevators' two occupants.
Philadelphia Common Pleas Judge Roxanne Covington told the Legal Intelligencer that she had stepped off one of the elevators onto the building's ninth floor moments before the incidents occurred:
“As soon as I took the bench, the lights started flashing. ... We thought it was a fire drill.”
Witnesses inside the criminal justice center heard a loud crash, according to NBC10.
Officials said the criminal justice center would remain closed for the remainder of the day as the investigation takes place.