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1 dead after parking garage partially collapses in Lower Manhattan, per FDNY
By
Catalina Gonella
,
Phil Corso
,
David Brand
,
Bahar Ostadan
,
Samantha Max
and
Christopher Werth
Published Apr 18, 2023
Modified Apr 18, 2023
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Li Qiang for Gothamist
By
Catalina Gonella
,
Phil Corso
,
David Brand
,
Bahar Ostadan
,
Samantha Max
and
Christopher Werth
Published Apr 18, 2023
Modified Apr 18, 2023
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A person was killed and several others were injured after a Lower Manhattan parking garage partially collapsed on Tuesday afternoon, officials said.
Footage of the collapse showed the roof of the three-story building at 57 Ann St. in the Financial District buckling shortly after 4 p.m., with several cars caving into it. Reports showed footage of the incident, in which a person could be heard screaming, "Get out!" Thick blocks of crumbled concrete and wrecked, overturned cars were visible in the garage from its street-level entrance.
The FDNY confirmed at least one person died in the collapse. Four were taken to the hospital and one refused medical attention, officials said.
Six parking garage workers were in the building at the time of the collapse, FDNY Chief John Esposito said at the scene. One worker had become trapped on one of the building's upper floors and was rescued by firefighters before they were pulled from the building.
"We had firefighters inside the building conducting searches," Esposito said. "The building was continuing to collapse. We made the decision to remove all our people from the building. Our robotics unit happened to be nearby."
Esposito said the department sent a four-legged robot called a Digidog to the survey the scene “without putting our firefighters’ and our first responders’ lives at risk.” He said FDNY officials were able to watch the video from the command center and on their phones.
The NYPD announced last week that it would be purchasing two of its own Digidogs for a total of $750,000 to assess hazardous situations like bomb threats. The department rented out the technology in 2020 but stopped using the robots amid public backlash.
Emergency crews returned inside the building to continue search efforts by 6:40 p.m., according to FDNY crews at the scene.
A screenshot from the Citizen app shows an aerial view of the collapse.
Screenshot via Citizen
"The building was shaking and I actually had a client staying in the hotel next door," said Coby Yushanayev, 30, who works as a barber at Skullfade Barbers, located a few doors down from the parking garage. "He said they had to evacuate everyone. We felt a little vibration and didn’t know what it was. It’s concerning."
Ahmed Scott was about to walk into the garage to retrieve his car as the building started to collapse.
"I'm just worried about the people inside because that's the most important thing," he told Gothamist. "I know I'd seen people in there, and as it fell, I didn't know what the hell was happening."
Damage was also visible in the interior of another parking garage on Beekman Street, adjacent to and just north of the one that collapsed. Police barred people from retrieving their cars from that garage as well.
Valerie Malloy, an attorney who lives in Staten Island and commutes to lower Manhattan, said she's been parking in the Beekman Street garage for 10 years and had to find another way home Tuesday night.
"Inconvenience is small compared to life," said Malloy. "At the end of the day, I can replace the car. So if it's totaled, I have insurance. I'll get a new car."
People wait to get their cars from the Rapid Park on the other side of the garage that collapsed in Lower Manhattan.
Derek French/Shutterstock
Mayor Eric Adams' office asked the public to avoid the area around the collapse. The MTA alerted riders that the 2, 3, A, C and J subway trains were running at reduced speeds in the area near the collapse.
At a press conference Tuesday, city Buildings Commissioner Kazimir Vilenchik said the garage had open violations dating back to 2003. Inspectors noted serious problems, like sagging beams and cracking concrete, in 2009. Vilenchik said the owner filed applications to correct the problems by 2010, but it was unclear if they actually did.
Building records show that the city's fire department requested a structural stability inspection following the parking garage collapse on Tuesday. It was the first complaint at the address since 2014.
Building inspectors hit the garage with two elevator violations in 2021, but both were dismissed. The Department of Buildings said an investigation into Tuesday's collapse was ongoing.
City officials brief the media near the scene of the partial building collapse in Lower Manhattan on Tuesday.
Twitter/@NYCMayor
New structural inspection requirements for parking garages in New York City began to be phased in last year under Local Law 126. Garages in lower Manhattan are first in line. They're required to have the condition of their buildings assessed by engineers and file inspection reports to the city's Department of Buildings by Dec. 31, 2023.
City records for the collapsed structure did not indicate that the owners had filed an inspection report.
"Unfortunately, the rule came a little late," said Eric Cowley, an engineer based in Stamford, Conn. who is qualified by the city to conduct inspections under the new law.
The scene where a building partially collapsed in Lower Manhattan on Tuesday.
Catalina Gonella/Gothamist
Pace University tweeted that all classes at its New York City campus were canceled and two of its nearby buildings had been evacuated.
Gov. Kathy Hochul said she was in contact with city officials. The mayor and NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell were also at the scene.
Tagged
public safety
manhattan
Catalina Gonella
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Phil Corso
Phil Corso is the evening news editor at WNYC/Gothamist. Got a tip? Email [email protected].
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David Brand
David is a reporter covering housing for Gothamist and WNYC. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or Signal 908-310-3960.
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Bahar Ostadan
Bahar Ostadan covers the NYPD and public safety. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or message Bahar on Signal at 646-740-7335.
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Samantha Max
Samantha reports on whether New Yorkers feel safe and whether the institutions that are supposed to protect them are working. Before coming to WNYC/Gothamist, she spent three years covering the criminal justice system in Tennessee for Nashville Public Radio. Her reporting on Nashville's police department received multiple awards, including the Daniel Schorr Journalism Prize. Samantha was also part of the inaugural class of Report for America, a service journalism program that sends up-and-coming reporters to local newsrooms across the country. She is a Northwestern University grad, a Baltimore native and fluent in Spanish. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or Signal: samanthamaxwnyc.93.
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Christopher Werth
Christopher is a senior editor focusing on investigations. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or Signal 646-939-6511
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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