Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Dangers In City-Run Building: Falling Ceilings, Lead
By
Ben Muessig
Published Mar 11, 2010
Modified Mar 11, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Ben Muessig
Published Mar 11, 2010
Modified Mar 11, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
A city-run apartment building for homeless families has put a Bronx toddler in danger—twice this week. Five days after Dymond Salgado and her family were forced to leave one apartment in their Grand Concourse building because the two-year-old was suffering from lead poisoning, a ceiling collapsed in their new apartment, covering the child in "debris and plaster teeming with water bugs and centipedes."
"I don't want to stay here another day," her father, Ralph Salgado, told the Daily News. "I can't even protect my own family from the unknown, from the invisible here." The ceiling fell at around 9 a.m., as Dymond played ball with her four-year-old brother Donte. "We were in the living room and I heard, 'Bam!'" said her father. "I froze up at first, and then the yell came, which was my daughter. I ran inside and she was covered with rubble and debris."
Dymond escaped the ceiling collapse—which was reportedly caused by a leaky radiator—with only minor injuries. But she and her brother remain on medication after being exposed to lead in their first apartment at 1410 Grand Concourse, and according to WPIX, Donte has "delayed speech" that his mother attributes to the toxic conditions. City officials say they will re-inspect every apartment in the 35-unit building. The Salgado family has been relocated to a Department of Homeless Services building in Morris Heights.
Tagged
bronx
ceiling collapse
collapse
department of homeless services
donte salgado
dymond salgado
grand concourse
homeless
homeless family
morris heights
radiator
salgado
Ben Muessig
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
5 men charged with trespassing in 2 Manhattan manhole cases
Two people who were found soaking wet and smelling of sewage say they went underground to look for jewelry, according to police and a criminal complaint.
By
Charles Lane
Published Oct 23, 2026 at 7:49 p.m. ET
6-year-old girl breaks leg after getting hit by falling bricks in Queens
The girl was walking with her mother in Maspeth on Thursday. The Department of Buildings cited the owner of a garage for “failure to maintain” it.
By
Charles Lane
News
6-year-old girl breaks leg after getting hit by falling bricks in Queens
The girl was walking with her mother in Maspeth on Thursday. The Department of Buildings cited the owner of a garage for “failure to maintain” it.
By
Charles Lane
Mamdani extends ban on permits for new street fairs due to NYPD overtime
By
Carol Chen
Inside the Midtown Bus Terminal rebuild: Decks over Lincoln Tunnel approach, a new park
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Black couple seeking Queens apartment sues over racist text from broker
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .