FDNY officials said in a report Wednesday that the deadly garage collapse in Manhattan was likely caused by the building’s age and the number of cars on the top floor.
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An internal memo revealed that the cause of the collapse was due to the weight of the vehicles on the roof and the building’s age. The parking garage was built in 1925. It reportedly had a history of violations from 2003, which were related to issues with its concrete construction, as the New York Post reported.
#Breaking
Garage collapse in the Financial District in downtown NYChttps://t.co/i6AIfvG3uh— Viral News NY (@ViralNewsNYC) April 18, 2023
Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement that there were over 50 cars on the top floor before the collapse. “There’s over 50 cars on the roof. The building is not structurally sound, you think about hazardous materials in the garage, right gas tanks, fluids, further complicated by the fact that there are possibly some electric vehicles in that garage,” he said during a press conference.
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Firefighters were attempting to remove the cars that were trapped inside the garage so they could permit a controlled demolition. Additionally, they must remove Willis Moore, a manager killed during the collapse. Moore worked as a location manager for Little Man Parking, and his SUV hasn’t been seen since the incident.
Sandy Imhoff, who lived next to the garage, said she felt her apartment shake until the incident caused a gaping hole in her home. “There were a lot of really big bangs first. Then part of the wall started coming down. Bricks were coming through. The place was filling up with dirt … part of my wall is gone now,” she explained. Although she was able to evacuate the building safely, Imhoff said her two cats were still inside the apartment.
Witnesses said they assumed a natural disaster happened since the collapse happened quickly but exited their workplaces as a safety precaution.
Breaking: NYC Parking Garage Collapse
Video (not mine) footage of collapse from a car in the garage #NYC #Explosion pic.twitter.com/W7nqqspGhY
— Baruch Sandhaus (@BaruchSandhaus) April 18, 2023
FIRST IMAGES of demolition operation happening NOW at the site of the NEW YORK Parking Garage Collapse in Lower Manhattan that occurred yesterday. #NYC #ParkingGarageCollapse pic.twitter.com/Fsnq36WLsk
— Erasmo Guerra (@erasmoguerra) April 19, 2023
Acting #NYC Buildings Commissioner and first responders arriving at scene of Lower Manhattan parking garage collapse. #NYPD blocking access — even to residents — near the site on Ann St. for safety. pic.twitter.com/w7RLhwfAcZ
— Ben Von Klemperer (@BVKImages) April 18, 2023
Pace University canceled their classes for the remainder of the day along with buildings surrounding the scene.