Bronx building collapse likely result of engineer's mistake: NYC mayor's office
NEW YORK - The Bronx partial building collapse that left 136 people displaced may be the result of an engineer's mistake, according to a statement from New York City Mayor Eric Adams's office.
A corner of the seven-story building on Billingsley Terrace in the Morris Heights neighborhood collapsed Monday, leaving apartments exposed like a stack of shelves and a convenience store partly buried under bricks and wood. No one suffered severe injuries.
The building, erected in 1927, had been undergoing facade repairs. According to the statement, a New York State licensed professional engineer inspecting the building's exterior had misdiagnosed a load-bearing column as decorative in a June filing.
Firefighters respond to a partial building collapse on West Burnside Avenue and Phelan Place in the Bronx, New York City on Monday, December 11, 2023. (Photo by Gardiner Anderson for NY Daily News via Getty Images)
New York City has suspended the associated engineer’s inspection authority.
"It is crucial that New Yorkers are safe in every one of those buildings. But when those who are entrusted to keep us safe cut corners and make catastrophic mistakes, we’re going to take swift action and hold them accountable," Adams said in the statement.
A 2020 inspection found cracked brick and loose, damaged mortar on the building’s facade, Buildings Department records show. Commissioner Jimmy Oddo said Monday that work had started but he didn't believe any workers were there at the time of the collapse.
"I want to be clear: Unsafe facade conditions is not the same as an unsafe building," he said at the news conference. While the property had seven unresolved violations, they weren't structural, he said.
NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 11: A view of the site of a partially collapsed residential building on December 11, 2023 in New York City. Part of a seven-story residential building in the Bronx collapsed on the afternoon of December 11. (Photo by Liao Pan/
Department Commissioner Zach Iscol told FOX 5 NY that 37 families, including 136 people, displaced from the 49 units.
Tenants told FOX 5 NY the collapse does not come as a surprise, and that they have been complaining about the building for years.
A resident of the building's sixth floor, Domingo Taveras Tejada, said he was slightly hurt in the panic of the escape.
"When I heard the collapse, I went running and I fell down the stairs. When I went outside, I saw the collapse," the 32-year-old said.
A worker at a nearby deli, Julian Rodriguez, 22, said he was behind the counter when he heard people screaming about a building collapse.
"When I went outside, all you could see is the debris and a smoke cloud in the street," said Rodriguez. "And you could see inside the structure: people’s beds, their doors, closets, lights, everything. It was really scary."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.