For the second time in two months, firefighters were called to a second Dekalb Avenue building in Norwood for a report of a ceiling collapse. In the latest incident, Jumratan Inshanali, a 33-year resident of 3561 Dekalb Avenue, said she was sitting in her bedroom with her home health aide on Monday, March 10, when water started to pour out of her ceiling and into her first-floor apartment.

 

On Saturday, March 15, Inshanali told Norwood News, “We were sitting down, and water came from upstairs. She grabbed me and said, ‘C’mon! Let’s go; something’s wrong!’” According to Inshanali and her super, firefighters waited for nearly an hour for Inshanali’s upstairs neighbor to return home so that the water flow could eventually be stopped.

 

Norwood News later contacted the FDNY on three occasions for details of the incident. We did not receive a response. Referring to her exposed ceiling, Inshanali said, “The firemen said there was a lot of lead [in the paint]. I can’t stay here at night. Even when I sleep, I can’t swallow, and I have asthma.” She said the FDNY told her it was not healthy for her to live in the apartment due to mold and lead. She added that she recently spent four nights in a hospital due to her asthma.

 

Asked why she was still living in the building given what the FDNY reportedly said, Inshanali replied, “Yes, but where am I going to go? The landlord didn’t call me. He didn’t say anything. He didn’t do anything. I just pull the door and leave it like that.” Asked if she has had other problems in the apartment, Inshanali fumed, “Every day! Every day, problems every day.”

Norwood News spoke with both the super of the building who didn’t speak much English, and his wife, who asked not to be identified, about the background to the collapse. His wife explained, “There was a leak from an apartment. There was a blockage in the big, big pipe in the wall.”

 

She said this happened on Sunday, March 9, and added that all the residents were informed not to turn on the water in their kitchens. Despite this, she said the following day, one upstairs resident turned on the water and that’s when Inshanali’s bedroom was flooded. She said her husband had committed to fixing Inshanali’s ceiling.

 

Norwood News reached out to NYC Department of Buildings (DOB) to ask if they were aware of the incident and Ryan Deegan, deputy press secretary, said, “I don’t see that we were called to any incident matching that description at that address.” We also attempted to contact the landlord, referred to as “Dinko” by both Inshanali and the super, on the number provided by them but it was not in service when we called.

 

The owner appears to be ADP Realty Ltd, with an address at 2275 Barker Avenue in the Bronx, according to City records.
According to HPD Online, there were 105 complaints filed in respect of this address over the last two years, many referring to “mold,” “water supply,” and “ceiling,” among others, including some relating to “carbon monoxide” and “pests,” though only two were open as of March 19.

One was for a blocked toilet. Meanwhile, there were 41 open violations, many referring to “defective plastered surfaces.”
When contacted, FDNY did confirm the department had responded to a separate incident at nearby 3459 Dekalb Avenue, also in Norwood, a block away from Inshanali’s building, on Friday, Feb. 7, at 7.56 a.m. in response to a report of a ceiling collapse. Norwood News was not on site on the day in question. A fire official later said of the incident, “One civilian refused medical assistance.”

 

Norwood News visited the building on several occasions after the incident in efforts to speak with the affected resident but were unsuccessful. We left a number and asked him to call us but received no feedback.

 

Speaking to Norwood News, the building’s super alleged there was no ceiling collapse and that the resident of the affected apartment was taken by EMS to hospital for an existing leg injury. However, as above, FDNY said the resident refused medical attention at the scene.

 

The super went on to say that he visited the resident’s apartment on the day the FDNY were called and added, “No ceiling; no nothing. He [the resident] said to me the kitchen cabinet fell on him. He doesn’t know what he’s saying, you know?” The super said he asked the resident which cabinet fell on him and the resident didn’t answer. The super said there were cabinets in the apartment, but it didn’t look like anything had fallen [unless they had already been picked back up before he got there].

 

Asked why EMS transported the man to hospital if there was no ceiling collapse and no fallen cabinets, the super replied, “He had one side of his leg all black, all… like sick in his leg from a long time ago.” The super alleged that a day before EMS arrived at the building, the resident had told him, “I’m sick. They want to cut my leg.” The super said he understood by this the resident was referring to his doctor.

Norwood News reached out to both DOB and NYC Department of Housing, Preservation and Development (HPD) to ask about this earlier incident. We were informed that neither agency had been notified of it.

 

A HPD spokesperson said, “HPD takes situations like this extremely seriously. We urge tenants to report hazardous maintenance issues to 311.” He said this was to have inspectors assess the building’s conditions and issue violations, where necessary.

 

According to HPD’s records as of March 19, there are 13 open violations in place for this property, some referring to defective surfaces, tiles, floors and some referring to carbon monoxide, among others. There were no open complaints but several relating to a lack of heat, roaches, mice and needed repairs were closed.

 

According to City records, the building appears to be owned by Zotpri LLC, with an address in White Plains, NY.

 

*Síle Moloney contributed to this story.