Residents mourn Yorkville doorman

| 10 Feb 2017 | 04:46

Residents and neighbors of 333 East 96th St. assembled a memorial in the building’s lobby for doorman Miguel Gonzalez, who died after falling during Thursday's snowstorm. Photo: Michael Garofalo

The snowstorm that blanketed the city Thursday morning turned tragic on the Upper East Side, when a doorman died after falling through a glass door as he shoveled outside his building.

Miguel Gonzalez, 59, was removing snow near the steps leading from the sidewalk to the entrance of 333 East 93rd St., near First Avenue, when he slipped down the steps and through a glass door at about 9:30 a.m., suffering fatal wounds. Gonzalez, who lived in Bridgeport, Conn., was a fixture at the building for decades and was reportedly nearing retirement.

By this afternoon, the door had been repaired and a makeshift memorial had been assembled in the building’s lobby. Throughout the day, well-wishers dropped off flowers and cards for Gonzalez’s family.

“He was such a nice guy,” one tearful neighbor said as she added a bouquet to the display. “He said hello to me every day and I didn’t even live in the building.”

“It’s a terrible day,” the doorman manning Gonzalez’s old post said.

“Who would think that this could happen? He was just clearing the ice so that everyone else would be safe,” added the man, who declined to give his name.

Service Employees International Union 32BJ released a statement honoring Gonzalez, who was a member of the union. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife and children and all those who knew and cared about him, including his coworkers and the residents of his building,” 32 BJ President Hector Figueroa said in the statement. “Our union family will do all we can to support Miguel’s family in this difficult time.”