Dozen Passengers on Roosevelt Island Tram Feared for Life on Sunday

December 15, 2003 -- A power failure halted the Roosevelt Island tram yesterday, leaving at least a dozen frightened passengers dangling 3,000 feet over the East River for about an hour.

"It was really scary and I was freezing," said rider Victor Lalo, of Brooklyn, who had been sightseeing with his wife, Sally, and thought it would be fun to take the four-minute ride to Roosevelt Island.

Instead, he said, there "was a sudden stop. We were just standing there. I thought we would fall. The scariest part was when the driver told us we might have to go down by ladder." French tourist Edward Giribone, 25, said he was still extremely nervous as he stepped off the Manhattan bound car.

"It was unsettling," he said. "We were really stressed out."

There were no injuries and the tram was back in operation after an hour.