A 175-foot building on Queens’ Jericho Turnpike collapsed into the street. This incident caused injuries to a pedestrian and two young girls sitting in a parked car, according to officials.
The NYPD along with the city’s building department reported that the balustrade wall of the plaza furniture store, located near 245th Street in Bellerose, partially collapsed around 4:30 PM, leading to minor injuries for two girls aged 11 and 13.
Victoria Craig, a witness, shared her disbelief, saying, “Honestly, I thought the bomb had exploded.” She conveyed her shock in an interview, stating, “I’m being sincere. It felt as if something catastrophic had occurred.”
Debris from the collapse, including scaffolding, struck a nearby parked Jeep, resulting in a 13-year-old passenger experiencing back pain and discomfort in his right leg, as reported by officers.
Additionally, a 25-year-old man was also affected, experiencing a shock along with back pain.
Another witness noted that the man had managed to escape the debris on his own. “We saw people in distress. I pulled over to help. They were trying to ensure there was no one trapped underneath the wreckage,” Jopley Phillip recounted. “Thankfully, he was the only one down and was already on his feet when I arrived.”
The two girls were transported to Cohen Children’s Medical Center, where they are currently stable. The pedestrian was taken to North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset and is also reported to be in stable condition.
Building inspectors discovered that approximately 175 feet of the parapet wall had fallen into the sidewalk and street.
They issued a violation to the building’s owner for inadequate maintenance and mandated the installation of tight board fences in front of several adjacent properties “to ensure public safety.”
Some of these properties have received partial vacancy orders. Inspectors from the Department of Buildings’ Forensic Engineering Unit returned to the site on Thursday to continue their examination.
The Department of Buildings indicated that “enforcement actions” against those responsible for the collapse are forthcoming, following the investigations.
