NYC garage collapse that killed 1 likely caused by building's old construction and number of cars on top deck
MANHATTAN, NEW YORK: A parking garage collapsed in New York City's Financial District on Tuesday, April 18, 2023, killing one person and injuring several others. The pictures and videos of the terrifying incident showed multiple cars, including several large SUVs, falling on top of each other during the collapse. A preliminary report by the Fire Department of New York said the collapse was likely caused by the age of the building, which was built in 1925 and approved as a garage in 1957, and the number of cars on its top deck.
Talking about it, Zach Iscol, the commissioner of the city’s emergency management office, said during a Wednesday, April 19, press conference, "There’s over 50 cars on the roof. The building is not structurally sound, you think about hazardous materials that are in the garage, right gas tanks, fluids, further complicated by the fact that there are possibly some electric vehicles in that garage,” reports New York Post.
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Four open violations against building’s owners existed
The records from the city’s Department of Building showed four open violations against the building’s owners, all related to construction issues. As per DailyMail, “An open complaint in 2013 saw the company, named Enterprise Ann Parking LL, fail to maintain the building after there was no exit at a signposted fire exit – with all the doors locked,” and was given a fine of $1,200 after being found in violation in 2014.
In 2009, they were found to have broken and defective fire stairs, as well as a “loose piece of concrete in danger of falling” in various locations. The respondent, named Ann Park LLC, was fined $200 and found to be in violation in 2010. However, it was not resolved. Two more complaints in 2003 remain open. One refers to exit lighting not working and exit signs not “properly illuminating”. And the other referred to "fix concrete" as well as "missing concrete covering steel beams" and "defective concrete with exposed rear cracks."
In addition to this, there are two open DOB violations regarding the elevator on the property, which was issued in 2014. Three of the complaints were marked as Category One or hazardous issues, indicating that they have to be rectified immediately.
As per ABC7, in all four cases, records show the unidentified owner paid a total of $2,500 as a fine, but the DOB website does not state whether the violations were rectified.
64 violations in total since 1976
The outlet further states that there have been 64 violations in total, with complaints dating back to 1976. A city record from 2010 shows 34 new auto lifts were installed on the property, which would have "added to the weight" of the four-story building.
DA Alvin Bragg’s Office confirmed that they will probe the cause but did not comment on whether any criminality is suspected. While Mayor Eric Adams said, "The City Council passed a law that stated that the obligation to do these inspections through an engineer must be carried out by the owners of the property. It's the law, they have to abide by the law and there's an investigation into exactly what happened here."
Who was the victim?
FDNY Chief of Operations John Esposito said that there were six workers in the building when the garage collapsed around 4 pm on April 18, just a few blocks from City Hall and the Brooklyn Bridge, reports Fox News. Following the collapse, one person died and six others were left injured. Among them, only five of them were taken to the hospital after one refused medical attention. The victim was identified as a manager named Willis Moore, 59. Moore’s friend and neighbor Kurt Jacobs said, “I was just like dumb-struck. I still can’t believe it. To hear he is no longer here….I just can’t imagine him not being here," as stated by New York Post.
