NYC Building Collapse Kills 8, Shocks Neighbors with Horrifying Footage
Horrifying Ring camera footage captures the collapse of a Brooklyn building, leaving eight dead and 18 injured.
2 min read
In a tragic and terrifying incident, a Brooklyn apartment building collapsed on Wednesday afternoon, resulting in the deaths of eight people and injuring 18 others, including four firefighters. The incident, which occurred at 1321 Flatbush Avenue, has shocked the community and raised serious concerns about building safety and regulatory oversight.
Horrifying Footage Captures the Moment
Two spine-chilling videos captured the terrifying moment the building gave way, burying families under a mountain of debris. One clip from a home security camera inside the doomed building shows a little boy swallowed by rubble as the wall beside him crumbles, and the room suddenly fills with daylight. The other is Ring camera footage shared by neighbor James Williams with CNN, showing a stairwell in the apartment building next door when a deafening roar erupts. Chunks of debris rain down at the edge of the frame, and a thick cloud of dust billows up. Seconds later, car alarms wail and panicked screams rise from the street below.
Rescue Efforts and Family Tragedy
A second recording from the same camera shows an FDNY firefighter steering a shaken resident past heaps of rubble toward the stairs. The firefighter calmly tells the resident, “You’re going to come with me — nice and easy,” as sirens scream in the background. Anderson Velez, the father of the boy seen in the video, had just shown up for a painting gig in the Bronx when his hysterical wife called. She was begging rescuers to dig their two sons out of the wreckage.
Velez told Gothamist that the family had moved into the $1,500-a-month apartment only weeks earlier, after leaving a homeless shelter. One of the boys escaped with scrapes to his forehead and legs. The youngest, just 2 years old, was pulled out caked in dirt from head to toe, his ears, nose, and mouth packed with grime.
Building Collapse and Regulatory Issues
The nearly century-old building came crashing down into the lot next door, where construction crews were digging. City building officials had already penalized the developers at that site for cutting corners and ignoring a stop-work order. The dead include two children, ages 9 and 10, and adults between 22 and 31, according to the NYPD. Eighteen more people were hurt, including four firefighters. Colombia’s consulate in New York said both children and one of the adults were Colombian.
The FDNY wrapped up its rescue mission once the last victim was freed. Investigators turned Thursday to finding out what caused the collapse, as the community grapples with the aftermath of one of the most devastating building collapses in recent history.
Source: Daily Wire
