Mother of Boy Trapped in Roll Up Gate Speaks Out

A child is lucky to be alive after he got trapped in a roll-up gate on Skillman Street in Williamsburg Thursday evening.

Mendy Gottlieb, 7, was apparently riding the gate up and down when he was lifted 15 to 20 feet in the air, and his head got trapped at the top.

Firefighters stood on the hood of an SUV to free him. He was transported to Bellevue Hospital, where he was treated for injuries that are not considered life threatening. He was discharged late Friday morning. A large gap was visible on the top of the gate where the boy's head got stuck.
Neighbors said they stood on each others shoulders to help hold the boy up and alleviate the pressure on his head until rescue crews arrived. Eyewitnesses said the boy was stunned but conscious when rescued.

On Friday, the boy's mother Yachet Gottlieb said the incident scared her son. "Thank God he's home," she said. Mendy would have been crushed, if it were not for a braking mechanism that stops the gate when it meets resistance. He marked the Sabbath Friday night with his parents, and six brothers and sisters. The child lives a few doors away from the building where he got stuck.