A Manhattan parking garage suffered a catastrophic collapse on Tuesday, resulting in multiple injuries and at least one confirmed death according to Fox News.
The floors of the building on 57 Ann Street between Nassau Street and William Street collapsed at 4:15 pm. Cars and people were sent crashing to the ground floor, where rubble and debris were eventually collected. According to Fox News, fire officials confirmed that one of the six employees was killed in the accident. Four were taken to the hospital in stable condition and the last refused to receive medical attention.
According to ABC7, the victim has been identified as 59-year-old Willis Moore. Moore’s neighbor spoke to reporters about the loss of his friend, saying:
“I think it’s honestly a lot to take in. When my sister we outside walking her dog, she came back in and told me my neighbor had an accident at work and they did say he passed away from the accident at work.”
The company’s spokesman Jeremy Zweig said, “we are devastated at the loss of one of our long-time employees and our thoughts are with his family and those who were injured in the accident.
In part of their statement, Enterprise Ann Parking, the owners of the venue, said the following:
“This is a tragic event. We are devastated at the loss of one of our long-time employees and our thoughts are with his family and those who were injured in the accident.”
“We thank all of the first responders who quickly attended to those who were impacted and appreciate their courageous work.”
NBC News reported that the building had outstanding violations that made the structure unsafe but had not yet been resolved. NBC News wrote:
City officials pledged Tuesday that the investigation into the collapse would be exhaustive. A spokesperson for the Department of Buildings told NBC News on Wednesday that the investigation was ongoing, but the office hoped to have updates for the public soon.
A spokesperson for the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said Wednesday that they are investigating the collapse.
There were open violations on the building, records show, including one from November 2003 that was considered hazardous. The violation stated the building had “first floor ceiling slab cracks” as well as “defective concrete with exposed rear cracks.”
Pace University, which is nearby, canceled classes for the remaining part of the day. Due to a lack of parking and an unsafe environment, they did not ask students to make the journey to class. In a Tweet, the school said:
“UPDATE Tuesday, April 18: Please be advised, following the partial collapse of a building near our NYC Campus, all classes on the NYC Campus will be canceled. 33 Beekman and 161 William have been evacuated and accommodations are being made for our residential students.”
UPDATE Tuesday, April 18:
Please be advised, following the partial collapse of a building near our NYC Campus, all classes on the NYC Campus will be canceled. 33 Beekman and 161 William have been evacuated and accommodations are being made for our residential students.— Pace University (@PaceUniversity) April 18, 2023
the screenshot is from an embedded YouTube video.
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