On the night of the tragedy, Hewett-Brown was in a crowded elevator headed up to a New Year's Party on the 14th floor of a building on Broome Street. At 11:45 p.m., the 43-year-old Sanchez entered the elevator to take out the trash.
"When I got into the elevator, I felt it dropping and I thought my feet would get caught in the gap but the man pushed me out and said, 'Happy New Year,'" Sanchez told The New York Post.
Just then, the elevator dropped more and Hewett-Brown's body got caught between it and the floor below.
The woman's son-in-law Emanuel Coronado, 23, tried to save Hewett-Brown but was unable.
He was saying, 'I can't breathe. Please help me,'" Coronado said.
"I feel bad I couldn't save him. I tried to pull him out but the weight of the elevator was too heavy," he continued.
Although emergency responders arrived within 5 minutes of the first 911 call, it was too late.
"To me, he is a hero. My mother-in-law might not be alive right now," Coronado said.
Hewett-Brown's friend, Ejiro Omenih, 22, told The Post, "That's the kind of heart he had. He's always been like that, very responsible, caring about other people."
"He's the head of the family. He has been the breadwinner for years, taking care of his grandmother, his mother, younger sister and a younger brother, Chris."
Sanchez told The Post that the building has a history of elevator problems.
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