The owner of a property beside the site of Wednesday’s fatal building collapse in Brooklyn is facing questions about earlier construction violations. Public records show that a contractor continued demolition work despite a city stop-work order issued in March.
The three-story building at 1321 Flatbush Ave. collapsed Wednesday afternoon, killing at least eight people and prompting a large rescue response. Investigators are examining construction work at the neighboring property, 2621 Bedford Ave., where the city had previously cited safety concerns.
New York City’s Department of Buildings issued the stop-work order in March after finding that N Tech Design of America had not installed required protections, including netting and sidewalk sheds, an agency spokesperson said.
About a month later, an inspector found that demolition had continued. The contractor was fined $10,000, and the order was lifted on May 8.
Buildings Commissioner Ahmed Tigani said excavation was underway at the Bedford Avenue site when the collapse occurred. The developer has approval for a three-story building and has submitted plans for a nine-story structure, but those plans have not been approved, he said. Workers were digging below ground at the time.
Records show that the property’s owner, Robert Fischman, notified neighboring landlords about the excavation in a letter sent in June.
A representative for N Tech Design of America said the company carried out the demolition but had left the site by late April or early May, several months before the collapse.
Engineering plans for the neighboring project included measures to prevent water from collecting and potentially damaging foundations on nearby properties. It was not immediately known whether those measures had been put in place or whether officials had documented structural concerns before the collapse.
“We have immediately launched a full investigation into how exactly this happened with our law enforcement partners, and we will be looking into all aspects of the building and the neighboring construction site,” Tigani said.
The New York Police Department said the first 911 call came in at 4:01 p.m. The mixed-use building, which had a store on the ground floor and apartments above, collapsed into an excavation pit at the neighboring site. The collapse also tore away a wall of 1323 Flatbush Ave., exposing apartments and stairwells.
Firefighters arrived within about a minute, as some were already nearby. Emergency officials warned of heavy response activity, traffic delays and road closures. Reports from the scene said people were trapped in the rubble, and firefighters began a major search and rescue operation.
Video from the scene showed firefighters speaking with a woman covered in dust after breaking through a collapsed wall. After she was taken to an ambulance, a man who had been searching for his wife told reporters that she had survived.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani initially said at least 17 people were injured and two had died. By Thursday morning, the death toll had risen to at least eight. Mamdani said three firefighters were among those injured.
“I am heartbroken that eight New Yorkers have now lost their lives and at least 17 have been injured, including three firefighters,” Mamdani said. “There are no words for a loss of this magnitude. My heart is with the families and loved ones of those we have lost, those who are injured and everyone grieving today.”
