Flatbush building collapse leaves at least 8 dead, 17 injured
Image via the FDNY on X
A three-story apartment building in Flatbush, Brooklyn collapsed on Wednesday night, killing at least eight and injuring more than a dozen others. Around 4 p.m. on Wednesday, the multifamily building at 1321 Flatbush Avenue collapsed into an adjacent construction lot, trapping people from the building and the construction site, prompting more than 250 fire and EMS personnel to respond. Rescue workers continue to search for anyone still trapped, and as of Thursday morning, at least 17 people are injured, including four in critical condition.
“There are no words for a loss of this magnitude. My heart is with the families and loved ones of those we have lost, those who are injured and everyone grieving today,” Mayor Zohran Mamdani said in a post on X on Thursday.
“Rescue operations are ongoing. Please stay clear of the area and keep those affected, and our first responders risking their lives in these efforts, in your thoughts.”
Although the cause of the collapse remains unclear, the three-story building stood at the edge of a construction site where an adjacent one-story structure had been demolished to make way for a new project. Excavation work was underway at the site when the collapse occurred, and much of the building’s rubble and debris spilled onto the lot.
When the building collapsed, the facade of the neighboring property at 1323 Flatbush Avenue was torn away, leaving interior apartments and stairwells exposed.
Dozens of spectators, some of whom knew residents of the building, quickly gathered at the scene as firefighters and other first responders began clearing rubble, with drones and canine units assisting the search. Harrowing video footage showed rescue crews carrying several victims away on stretchers.
A husband searching for his pregnant wife learned that she had survived and had been rescued from beneath the debris, according to ABC7. The condition of the woman and her baby is unknown.
Mamdani said that the Department of Buildings (DOB) and law enforcement will investigate the cause of the collapse.
The collapsed building is owned by Isolag Realty Corp., according to property records. Olufemi Falade signed the deed transferring the property to the company, his corporate entity, in 2024, as The Real Deal reported.
An inspection commissioned by the site’s contractors and filed with the DOB in March found that the collapsed building’s north facade was in “poor condition with noticeable cracks,” according to The New York Times.
The DOB says that developers of the adjacent site had an active permit for excavation and foundation work. Ahmed Tigani, the DOB’s commissioner, said a full stop-work order had been issued for the site, as reported by the Times.
However, the lot has a documented history of safety concerns. The property is owned by a limited liability company led by Robert Fischman and associates. In March, the DOB ordered the project team to halt demolition work after finding inadequate overhead protections for neighboring buildings, according to the Times.
The developers continued demolition despite the order, prompting the DOB to issue a $10,000 fine, CNN reported. The stop-work order was eventually lifted in May after the agency determined that the project team had corrected the violations.
Additionally, DOB records show that a third-party inspector was designated to verify that excavation work was being performed properly. However, the inspector’s license expired in July, according to city records. It remains unclear whether the inspector was still working for the contractors when the collapse occurred, as the DOB did not immediately clarify.
Fischman and his partners had recently submitted an application to the DOB proposing a larger, nine-story, 56,000-square-foot mixed-use development featuring a ground-floor supermarket and residential units above.
Appearing on NY1, architect William Gati said that while the existing connection between the collapsed building and the adjacent site was “fine” above grade, the problem was below ground.
Gati noted that 1321 Flatbush Avenue is nearly 100 years old and, like many older buildings across the five boroughs, has a rubble foundation. Unless reinforced, he said, these foundations can “fall apart” when an excavation takes place beneath them.
While Gati’s analysis pointed to potential structural issues related to the adjacent construction site, others have highlighted the building owner’s history of alleged tenant neglect.
In a statement issued following the collapse, Sumathy Kumar, executive director of the NYS Tenant Block, described Olufemi Falade as a “slumlord” with a 20-year track record of tenant neglect. Kumar also said 1321 Flatbush Avenue had 61 open HPD violations at the time of the collapse.
“Yesterday’s preventable tragedy stresses the urgency of taking buildings out of the hands of bad landlords who are looking to make quick profits at the expense of people’s safety,” Kumar said. “We need better and faster tools to hold landlords accountable and to make sure that buildings are properly maintained and managed.”
“As the neighborhood looks towards rebuilding, this tragedy also highlights the need for dignified, high quality housing built with union labor, which is why we are fighting for social housing across the city and state,” she added.
Holding property owners accountable for maintaining safe living conditions for tenants has been at the forefront of the Mamdani administration’s housing agenda.
On Wednesday, Mamdani signed the Community Opportunity to Purchase Act (COPA) into law, giving qualified, “mission-driven” affordable housing providers 145 days to submit offers on eligible properties, along with a right of first refusal to match another buyer’s offer during the following year.
Advocates say the law will help preserve affordable housing, protect tenants, and prevent buildings from falling into disrepair.
While rescue efforts continue, the city’s Department of Environmental Protection has shut off water to roughly 100 buildings surrounding the site to allow emergency crews to continue their work.
The city’s Office of Emergency Management and the Red Cross have opened a reception center for affected residents at the Flatbush YMCA, located at 1401 Flatbush Avenue. As of 6 a.m., seven households, including 14 adults and five children, had registered for emergency assistance, including temporary lodging.
Mamdani has urged New Yorkers to “stay clear” of the area and keep those affected and first responders “in your thoughts.” Flatbush Avenue is currently closed from Clarendon Road to Bedford Avenue, according to the Times.
Editor’s note: This is a developing story and will be updated as more information is released.
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