City officials are examining the construction history of a property next to the Brooklyn building that collapsed Wednesday, killing at least eight people, after records showed the neighboring site had been under a stop-work order earlier this year.
The three-story building at 1321 Flatbush Ave. collapsed into an excavation pit at the adjacent construction site, 2621 Bedford Ave., touching off a massive emergency response. The collapse also tore away a wall of 1323 Flatbush Ave., exposing apartments and stairwells inside.
Public records obtained by Fox News Digital show the Department of Buildings issued a stop-work order at the Bedford Avenue site in March after finding that the contractor, N Tech Design of America, had failed to install required safety measures, including netting and sheds, according to Department of Buildings spokesperson Andrew Rudansky, who spoke with The Gothamist.
A month later, a department inspector found that demolition work had continued despite the order and issued a $10,000 penalty. The stop-work order was lifted on May 8.
NYC Buildings Commissioner Ahmed Tigani said at a news conference Wednesday that excavation work was underway at the Bedford Avenue site at the time of the collapse.
“The type of work they were conducting was excavation work on that job site. And so, that was what they were working on today. They have a plan approved for a three-story building, but they have current plans looking for a nine-story building, which has not yet been approved for. At this point, all we have at this time is excavation work in that section of the construction site,” Tigani said.
Tigani said the workers were “digging down.” Agency records also show that the Bedford Avenue property’s owner, Robert Fischman, sent a letter in June notifying neighboring landlords of the excavation work.
A representative for N Tech Design of America told WABC that the company had completed its demolition work and left the site by late April or early May, months before Wednesday’s collapse.
Engineering plans for the construction site addressed the risk of accumulated water damaging nearby foundations, including a drainage note stating that operations accounted for preventing water buildup that “could cause damage to nearby building foundations on the subject property or on adjacent properties.” It remains unclear whether those precautions were actually implemented or whether any structural concerns had been flagged before the collapse.
“We have immediately launched a full investigation into how exactly this happened with our law enforcement partners, and we will be looking into all aspects of the building and the neighboring construction site,” Tigani said.
How the collapse unfolded
The New York Police Department said the first 911 call came in at 4:01 p.m. Wednesday. The collapsed building was a three-story mixed-use structure with a store at street level and apartments above. Firefighters, some of whom were already nearby, reached the scene within a minute.
Notify NYC issued an alert warning of heavy emergency personnel activity, traffic delays and road closures in the area as the Fire Department launched a major rescue operation to pull people from the rubble.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani initially said at least 17 people had been injured and two had died. By Thursday morning, the death toll had risen to at least eight.
“I am heartbroken that eight New Yorkers have now lost their lives and at least 17 have been injured, including three firefighters,” Mamdani wrote on X. “There are no words for a loss of this magnitude. My heart is with the families and loved ones of those we have lost, those who are injured and everyone grieving today.”
Fischman and N Tech Design of America had not responded to requests for comment as of this report.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login