Questions raised about the death of man in elevator
By: Will Reisman
Examiner Staff Writer
December 2, 2008
 |
| Daniel Kliman, a 38-year-old doctor with a general internist practice in Alameda, were discovered in the lower level of the Sharon Building at 55 New Montgomery Street on Monday. (Cindy Chew/The Examiner) |
SAN FRANCISCO — The circumstances surrounding the mysterious death of an Oakland man known for his fiery pro-Israeli stance remain unknown, one day after his body was discovered at the bottom of an elevator shaft in a downtown San Francisco building.
The decomposing remains of Daniel Kliman, a 38-year-old doctor with a general internist practice in Alameda, were discovered Monday on the lower level of the Sharon Building at 55 New Montgomery St. — some six days after police said the man fell seven stories to his death.
The San Francisco Police Department said Monday night that the fall was an accident, but on Tuesday Sgt. Lyn Tomioka changed the stance slightly, saying the department would not determine a cause of death till its investigation is complete. An autopsy was being performed Tuesday on Kliman, who likely died on impact, she said.
Kliman, a member of the activist group San Francisco Voice for Israel, was taking classes at Pacific Arab Resources, or PAR, an Arabic-language teaching course located on the seventh floor of the Sharon Building. Security cameras captured Kliman entering the building at 8 p.m. Nov. 25 — a time when there are no PAR classes and when the exterior doors to the Sharon Building are locked, according to building manager Brad Bernheim. To access the building after-hours, guests must have a security key, which would not be permitted to PAR students, Bernheim said.
Dr. Michael Harris, a close friend of Kliman’s and fellow member of Voice for Israel, said the circumstances surrounding the death were “very suspicious.”
“Why was he in the building when there were no classes?” Harris said. “How does one get into an elevator shaft? There are a lot of unanswered questions.”
Harris said Kliman had an active role in Voice for Israel, a counterprotest group that frequently showed up at pro-Palestinian rallies in the Bay Area. Although he didn’t start any arguments, Kliman was often in the middle of heated confrontations regarding Israel, Harris said.
“He was a very visible person for his advocacy,” said Harris, who added that Kliman was hospitalized once after being physically assaulted during a counterprotest movement in Albany. “There were people who didn’t like him too well.”
Kliman started learning Arabic about a year ago to “get a better understanding” of the language, said Harris.
Several calls Tuesday to PAR’s office were not returned.
The Police Department would not comment on the connection, citing the ongoing investigation of the case.
Although Kliman was absent for six days during the Thanksgiving holiday, no missing persons reports were filed in either Alameda or San Francisco counties. Harris said Kliman was scheduled to travel to Israel on Thursday, which would explain why people weren’t surprised to not hear for him.
Although the building’s main doors were locked, a night security guard was on duty in the lobby and plenty of people were still inside at the time of Kliman’s death, Bernheim said. The building was closed from Thursday to Sunday for the holiday, which explained why Kliman’s body wasn’t discovered till Monday, according to Bernheim.
Last month, the building passed an elevator-safety inspection, according to Erika Monterroza, spokeswoman for the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health, which is conducting a separate investigation. Monterroza said the exterior doors to the elevator would have to be opened manually with a crowbar or anther prying instrument.
Harris said Kliman was originally from Schenectady, N.Y., and moved to the Bay Area about five years ago. Kliman was a fierce pro-bike advocate and also an openly gay man, Harris said.
A woman who answered the phone at the residence of Edith Kliman in Schenectady said she had “no comment.”
Kliman had no criminal record in Alameda County, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
