I've seen that in New York City too. Probably common in other cities, or at least parts of cities with large Jewish populations. A condo I lived in had a malfunction that put it into a similar mode, and it was over a long holiday weekend so he had to suffer with it until the next business day when elevator repair could come out. Even in a ten-story building, it really adds a lot of extra time to your ride when it has to stop at every floor.