Collapsed NYC Parking Garage Was Old, Overloaded, Due for Inspection

UPDATE Apr 20, 2023 12:30 AM CDT

The parking garage that collapsed Tuesday in Manhattan, killing one and injuring at least five more, was old, overloaded, and due for an inspection, officials say. The age of the building and the number of vehicles parked on the roof deck (possibly as many as 50) were named as contributing factors when investigators released their initial findings Wednesday, according to NBC New York. The Ann Street Garage was built in 1925, and was due for an inspection this year, the New York Times reports. Until recently, parking garages in the city had not been subject to periodic inspections, and the building had not yet been inspected under the new law mandating inspections for garages. It also had a history of safety violations that had not been resolved, some from decades back. Hazardous issues including cracked and crumbling concrete had also been reported.

Apr 18, 2023 5:22 PM CDT

A parking garage collapsed Tuesday in lower Manhattan’s Financial District, killing one worker, injuring five and crushing cars as concrete floors fell on top of each other like a stack of pancakes, officials said. Bystander video showed cars hanging precariously from a buckled upper deck of the three-story building, and people nearby described a fearsome rumbling, followed by screams, the AP reports. "It felt like an earthquake," said Liam Gaeta, a student at nearby Pace University. Other students described seeing cars falling in the building.

Officials said one worker was trapped on an upper floor and rescued via a neighboring roof. The garage caved in around 4pm, a few blocks from City Hall and the Brooklyn Bridge, and about half a mile from the New York Stock Exchange. The collapse left the building “completely unstable," Mayor Eric Adams said at a news conference. Firefighters had to pull out because of the danger, conducting searches instead with a drone and a robotic dog, Fire Department Chief of Operations John Esposito said. The building was "all the way pancaked, collapsed all the way to the cellar floor," Acting Buildings Commissioner Kazimir Vilenchik said.

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