Caught On Cam: Parking Structure Collapses In New York City, Killing 1 And Injuring Several Others

At least one person was killed and five others injured after a four-story parking structure collapsed in New York's lower Manhattan area on Tuesday.

The collapsed parking garage in lower Manhattan

New Delhi: At least one person was killed and five others injured after a four-story parking structure collapsed in New York's lower Manhattan area on Tuesday, authorities said. The garage, a few blocks from City Hall and the Brooklyn Bridge, and about half a mile (0.8 km) from the New York Stock Exchange, caved in around 4 pm on Tuesday afternoon.

The concrete floors of the garage fell on top of each other like a stack of pancakes, AP reported citing officials.

A senior journalist took to Twitter to share the video of the collapse:

NEW YORK (AP) — Authorities: 1 dead, 5 injured in parking garage collapse in Manhattan's Financial District.

https://t.co/NfvK0Ey77C

— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) April 18, 2023

"Sadly, we did lose one life. While we continue to search the site, at this time we are hopeful that there are no other people trapped in the structure," tweeted New York Mayor Eric Adams, adding five others were rescued by first responders.

Sadly, we did lose one life. While we continue to search the site, at this time we are hopeful that there are no other people trapped in the structure.

— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) April 18, 2023

One person was pronounced dead on the scene, four more were taken to area hospitals for injuries and a sixth individual who was hurt declined medical treatment, said John Esposito, chief of fire operations for the New York City Fire Department, according to Reuters.

"This was an extremely dangerous situation for our firefighters," he told a late-afternoon news briefing.

According to AP, Ahmed Scott arrived to collect his car after work and found a disaster in the making.

In a video he shot from across the street, someone off-camera yells, “Guard! 911! 911! There’s a building collapsing on Ann Street,” followed by the sound of something crumbling.

According to him, about 45 seconds later, two women run out, saying the building fell while they were inside it.

A man stands on a fire escape as bystanders try to figure out how to help him get down. He eventually did, Scott said.

A student, Jadess Speller, at nearby Pace University, told AP that the collapse “felt like an earthquake – like the earth opened up inside, like that’s how violent it was”. 

Pace evacuated an adjacent dorm and classroom building, and canceled all evening classes as it assessed the buildings’ safety. School officials sent the displaced students to a student center while working out other accommodations.

According to AP, it wasn’t immediately clear what had caused the collapse. City Buildings Department records show the three-story structure has been a garage at least since the 1920s, and there are no recent permits for construction.

Messages were left for a parking company that lists the garage as one of its properties.