2 rescued after plunging down elevator shaft at Target store in the Bronx

Dozens of shoppers at the Bronx Terminal Market watched as first responders put extensive confined space rescue training to work to save two men who fell down an elevator shaft. 

"I'm recording and I'm praying the same time that the rescue can come in perfect," said shopper Rarbi Mojica. 

Sources tell CBS2 it started on the third floor outside the Target store. 

A 29-year-old loss prevention officer was ejecting a 16-year-old suspected shoplifter. During a struggle, they banged against an elevator door. It opened and they fell three stories down to the top of the elevator on the first floor. 

"We responded in approximately three minutes. We found two victims in the elevator shaft, one on top of the elevator the second one past the elevator, in the elevator pit," said Deputy Assistant Chief John Sarrocco. 

The victim on top of the elevator was rescued fairly easily. To reach the other under the elevator in the pit, first responders knocked down walls in the first floor Dollar Discount and Party store. 

"What was it like when they were breaking through the wall?" Aiello asked. 

"It was like someone breaking my heart," said owner Abdul Wahib. 

"You have a lot to clean up," Aiello said. 

"A lot. A lot of work. I have to put the beam, construction. It's a disaster for us and it's Christmas time," he said. 

"We set up a mechanical advantage, basically a rope system, and we were able to bring that victim up out of the elevator shaft in about an hour," Sarrocco said. 

The victim in the elevator pit had injuries described as critical. He was taken to Harlem Hospital and is expected to survive. 

The FDNY trains for these scenarios, and Thursday that training paid off. 

Sources tell CBS2 preliminary information suggests an employee was ejecting a suspected shoplifter from the Target store. 

The two struggled and slammed into the elevator door. Somehow, they fell down the empty elevator shaft three floors. 

FDNY officials said they were on the scene three minutes after receiving the 911 call around 11:15 a.m. 

Fire officials said one of the two landed on top of the elevator, and the other fell down below it, into the pit of the shaft. To rescue him, FDNY members had to breach the wall and, using ropes, were able to pull him out within an hour.

"This is the best the FDNY has to offer. The training that goes on every day in order to do a technical rescue like that, between FDNY fire operations and FDNY EMS operations, working in concert with each other in order to save this person's life that's underneath, is just astounding and what we do. We train every day for something like this, and when it happens we're ready to go," said FDNY Deputy Assistant Chief John Sarrocco. 

The worker, 29, was taken to Lincoln Hospital in stable condition. 

The 16-year-old shoplifting suspect was taken to Harlem Hospital. 

The incident started at around 11 a.m., FDNY officials said. 

They say two men needed to be rescued from an elevator at the Target store at the Bronx Terminal Maket on Exterior Street in the Concourse Village section. 

Authorities say the two are in their 20s. One of them has non life-threatening injuries. 

There was no immediate word on the extent of injuries to the second.

Chopper 2 was over the scene Thursday morning.