Teen recovering after scary fall inside Queens MTA power station

WOODHAVEN, Queens (WABC) -- A teenager is recovering after falling inside an MTA power station in Queens. Now, the scary incident is raising concerns about the danger of abandoned buildings.

The incident happened just after 6 p.m. Saturday when the 15-year-old fell 10 feet into a hole at an old LIRR building on Atlantic Avenue. The teen was taken out on a stretcher, and was in a lot of pain, according to witnesses. He was alert and conscious when he was rushed to Elmhurst Hospital.

It is unclear why the teen was inside the abandoned building, what he was doing there, and whether or not he was alone. However, residents say they are not at all surprised that something like this happened.

"That's not smart. Having a 10-year-old, that's not smart, because you can get hurt, and might not even get found," says Helen Solomon.

"Kids get curious, and they want to explore, all these games and stuff that they got out now, maybe they want to be the next tomb raider and everything, you know?" adds Brianna Jones.

Eyewitness News does not know how the teen gained access to the building, but investigators appeared to retrace a path from the tracks to the building. The LIRR elevated track line has been out of use since the 1960s. Residents have complained for years that the abandoned elevated line is unsafe, because it is so easily accessible.