This is a developing story.

 

FDNY has confirmed that an elevator collapsed at 8.17 a.m. on Wednesday, May 19, at 20 Bruckner Blvd in Port Morris in the South Bronx. One person was found dead on arrival at the scene and another is critical. The incident was also reported on the Citizen’s App and a verified video was uploaded to the site showing the scene outside the building, which included several fire trucks.

The scene outside 20 Bruckner Boulevard in Port Morris, following a construction accident on May 19, 2021. Video courtesy of the Citizens’ App.

At 8.22, Citizen users reported that firefighters at the scene confirmed the elevator had collapsed into the basement of the building with people inside. By 8.46, Citizen users reported that firefighters had advised that the elevator had been cleared.

 

According to records retrieved from New York City Department of Buildings (DOB), there are three buildings at the lot location, 18-22 Bruckner Blvd.

To date, there are 34 complaints recorded in respect of the location, 78 violations recorded by DOB, and 44 other violations recorded by other agencies.

 

There were 53 violations recorded in respect of the elevator records according to DOB between 1991 and 2017, and there were 282 inspections carried out between 1990 and 2021. The last recorded routine inspection was carried out on Jan. 11, 2021. No violation was found.

DOB issues a monthly enforcement bulletin highlighting buildings which have not complied with DOB regulations. The last one, issued on April 30, did not reference the Bruckner Boulevard building.

 

DOB released its March 2021 enforcement bulletin, highlighting the agency’s actions to sanction and deter bad actors in the construction industry through the enforcement of safety laws and codes of conduct for construction professionals.

The April bulletin, which covers the month of March, included summaries of DOB-imposed disciplinary actions, including penalties and license suspensions and revocations. Details of the bulletin in respect of The Bronx are listed further below.

 

According to the agency, the details listed represent a portion of DOB’s overall work to enforce the City’s building codes and safety laws, in addition to “thousands of inspections conducted, and violations issued by the agency each month for illegal building and construction conditions.”

DOB-Imposed Disciplinary Actions, Penalties and License Suspensions and Revocations in The Bronx as of April 2021 

• $12,500 in penalties issued to Urban Renaissance Collaboration Promesa HDFC, the owners of 851 Tinton Avenue, Bronx, for failure to maintain the façade of their 5-story building, after a DOB inspection found missing pieces of the stucco façade around the building.

• $10,000 in penalties issued to Tracking Number Holder DZ Construction Corp. for failure to safeguard a demolition site at 356 Soundview Avenue, Bronx, after our inspectors found that required protection measures had not been implemented for a neighboring property.

• $30,625 in penalties issued to 3069 Cannon Place LLC, for illegally displaying an outdoor advertising sign at 3470 Fort Independence Street, Bronx, without a permit, and in a prohibited zone. An additional violation was issued for failing to register as an Outdoor Advertising Company.

 

Norwood News attempted to speak to some construction workers at the site of the Bruckner Boulevard incident (which is under construction) on Wednesday, but they declined to comment.

 

A separate construction-related incident at 86 34th St. in Greenwood, Brooklyn, which involved a collapsed freight elevator, was reported on May 10 also on the Citizen’s App. Users reported at the time that “multiple officers” reported being trapped inside the freight elevator and that some were injured, including one with a back injury. According to Citizen, EMS was called and the FDNY responded to the incident.

One Citizen user said the elevator in that instance was located in Building 6 of Industry City. Other Citizen users later reported that police said two officers incurred non life-threatening injuries as a result of the incident. Norwood News reached out to the NYPD to inquire as to the cause of the elevator incident in Brooklyn, if known, and will update this story should we receive further information.

 

Later, on May 19, the NYPD confirmed the details of the Port Morris elevator incident saying, “On Wednesday, May 19, 2021 at approximately 08.00 hours, police responded to a 911 call of an elevator collapse at 20 Bruckner Boulevard, within the confines of the 40 Precinct.”

 

The statement continued, “Upon arrival, officers encountered two unconscious and unresponsive adult males inside of an elevator. EMS responded to the scene and pronounced one male deceased. The second male, a 29-year-old, was transported to NYC Health & Hospitals/Lincoln in critical condition. The preliminary investigation revealed that the two males, construction workers, were loading material into a freight elevator on the 5th floor when it fell. The Department of Buildings and Office of Emergency Management were notified and the investigation is ongoing.”

 

According to DOB records, the 20 Bruckner Boulevard building in The Bronx is an active construction site. The previous 1952 Certificate of Occupancy shows the building used to have a legal occupancy as a manufacturing and storage space.

 

Meanwhile, the name of the elevator company in question is ALPHA ELEVATOR, INC. We called the company for comment but the line was either engaged or otherwise unavailable.

 

According to the self-reported ownership information provided to DOB on the recent work application associated with the site, the business owner of the building appears to be Bruckner Development LLC c/o MADD Equities. Norwood News reached out to MADD Equities on behalf of Bruckner Development LLC for comment. The contact who answered the phone declined to comment on the matter.

 

Meanwhile, one of the most recent complaints filed on Dec. 14, 2020 at 20 Bruckner Boulevard alleged that the owner of the building was attempting to convert the space from commercial use to a rental/livable apartment without authorization. DOB checked on Dec.18 and found no evidence of a violation.

Meanwhile, Norwood News also reached out to DOB regarding the Bronx incident, and Andrew Rudansky, spokesperson for DOB, provided the following statement: “Every worker who leaves for the job site in the morning deserves to come home safely at night. We are committed to finding out how this tragic incident occurred, and if we find that safety rules were ignored, we will hold those responsible to account. Along with our partners in law enforcement, investigators from our Construction Safety and Elevator Enforcement units will be conducting a thorough investigation of the events that led up to this incident.”

Rudansky added that DOB inspectors are currently at the scene at 20 Bruckner Boulevard, investigating the incident at the work site that resulted in the death of one worker, and injuries to another.

 

He said 20 Bruckner Boulevard has active construction permits for a major alteration and vertical enlargement of the existing building, and that the agency’s preliminary investigation determined that the two construction workers were using the elevator at the work site to transport construction debris between floors, when the elevator device fell to the bottom floor.

 

The agency has issued a Full Stop Work Order for the entire work site, and the investigation into the incident is ongoing. Enforcement actions are pending the results of the investigation.

 

On Saturday, May 22, the NY Daily News reported that authorities confirmed a construction worker died that day after falling four stories at a construction site in Long Island City, Queens. Preliminary reports said the victim fell down an elevator shaft at about 9:30 a.m. He was rushed to Mt. Sinai Queens, where he succumbed to his injuries.

 

Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this story mentioned that the DOB records for the building were no longer available on their website but this was not actually the case. We apologize for this error.