Cousins reunite with firefighters who saved them from stalled elevator

Teens rescued from elevator thank firefighters

They got stuck inside an elevator at a building in the Peachtree Center in Downtown Atlanta. Thursday, they got to thank the firefighters who rescued them.

ATLANTA - Firefighters who rescued two young cousins trapped in an elevator at Peachtree Center reunited with them Thursday, giving the children a chance to say thank you after what they describe as a frightening three-hour ordeal.

What they're saying:

Johnny Jones said he and his cousin, Malai Moore, had been riding down to get lunch inside the downtown Atlanta building last Tuesday when the elevator suddenly stopped between floors.

"We were going down to get lunch. Suddenly the elevator stopped and were confused," Moore said. She added, "I didn’t know what was going to happen."

Jones said they tried everything inside the car to get help. "The buttons weren’t working. We called my auntie and his stepdad. They called the firefighters," he said.

His stepdad told him rescuers were on the way. "My stepdad had said they were coming to get you guys and they’re coming down from the steps on the roof," Jones said.

Moore said she kept looking up, unsure how long they would be trapped. "I didn’t know how long we were going to be stuck in there and if they were going to be able to get us out," she said.

Battalion Chief Lem Mullins said crews had to improvise once they located the elevator. "We had to build a rope a system to actually go on top and send one person down. We were able to see exactly where they were located and used the equipment that we actually needed and sent a rescuer down," Mullins said.

Jones said he did his best to stay calm. "At first I was real scared. But then I became braved as we were coming up," he said. After he was safely out, he added, "I’m thanking God it was over."

Asked if he would ride that elevator again, Jones said, "In that elevator? Maybe. If it’s fixed. If it’s fixed."