"I only had to climb to the next level. I popped off the drop ceiling, opened the hatch, then climbed on top of the elevator car. The door to the next floor has a little dial you twist that makes the doors open."
I called BS on his story, but he's sticking to it. I used to work for a fire alarm company and I rode on the tops of elevator cars many times. You guys would give me a lift to the top of the shaft so I could test or service the smoke detector up there. I know that the code requires the emergency hatch to be locked or bolted shut. And I never saw a "little dial" to open the outer doors. There was always a bar or lever for opening the doors from the inside.
Is this guy's story plausible in any way whatsoever?
Thanks in advance for your help!
On a completely different subject, I remember back in the days when I was doing fire alarm installations in new construction. I always wanted to be an elevator guy! Your work looked much more fun than the stuff I was doing! And I thought it was a blast to ride on the tops of the cars to get to the smoke detectors at the top of the shaft. It was the weirdest feeling, standing on the top of the car watching the walls go by.