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Dad, girl killed in Brooklyn building collapse stayed home in fear of ICE, cousin says
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published Nov 13, 2026 at 12:51 p.m. ET
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Courtesey of Juan Carlos Zabala
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published Nov 13, 2026 at 12:51 p.m. ET
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Juan Daniel Sabala and his family increasingly felt like home was the safest place they could be.
When they weren’t working, the Colombian father of two and his wife preferred to stay in their Brooklyn apartment as much as possible — terrified that federal immigration agents would stop them on the street — according to cousin Juan Carlos Zabala, who spoke to Gothamist from his home in Spain. Juan Carlos Zabala clarified to Gothamist that he and his cousin spelled their family name differently.
On Wednesday, the illusion of safety in the Flatbush Avenue home came crashing down when the building collapsed. Juan Daniel Sabala, 31, and his 9-year-old daughter Nicole were later identified among the dead, along with 10-year-old Kevin Santiago Reyes Gonzalez, another cousin.
“We have no words,” Juan Carlos Zabala told Gothamist by phone early Friday, adding that he had just heard the news earlier in the day. “They were following the American dream.”
The collapse also killed five other New Yorkers and injured 18 more. Juan Carlos Zabala said Friday that Juan Daniel Sabala’s wife was still hospitalized and receiving intensive care with the couple’s 3-year-old daughter.
Juan Carlos Zabala said they had arrived in the country three or four years ago, and Juan Daniel Sabala had been working for a cleaning company. But the last time they spoke, he said, his cousin sounded anxious.
“Everything with ICE was really bothering them,” he said. “So they stayed shut inside, from work to home and home to work because they were afraid of being deported.”
The family was home on Wednesday because it was Veterans Day, Juan Carlos Zabala said. He had been planning to come visit in December — but now was left processing what had become of his relatives.
“I have a lot of nostalgia and a lot of sadness … because I am also in another country that’s not mine,” he said. “We came with a dream, hoping for a better life. And at the end, we don’t know what will happen to us.”
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Brooklyn building collapse
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new york city
news
public safety
Brittany Kriegstein
Brittany Kriegstein covers all breaking news around New York City, with a focus on crime and gun violence. Got a tip? Email Brittany at [email protected].
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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