Fatal Brooklyn apartment building collapse leaves community grieving and demanding answers

A three-story apartment building collapsed near a construction site in Brooklyn's Flatbush neighborhood on Wednesday afternoon, killing at least eight people and leaving the surrounding community in shock. New York officials confirmed the dead include six adults and two children, with at least 18 others suffering serious but non-fatal injuries.

By Thursday morning, the New York City police department had rerouted several buses and closed off Flatbush Avenue between Bedford Avenue and Clarendon Road so responders and firefighters could keep searching the wreckage for victims. Residents, media crews and workers from nearby small businesses gathered on the sidewalks, trying to catch a glimpse of the rubble.

Prudence Foster, a retired ConEdison utility worker who has spent most of her life in the neighborhood, heard helicopters on her way home Wednesday before a friend called to tell her what had happened. "The last time I saw something like this was when I went to work at 9/11," she said. "I was glad the building didn't blow up because of the gas lines. Who is going to be held accountable for the loss of lives?"

Foster, who now lives on 19th Street about a 20-minute drive from the site, said her biggest worry is the residents of the three buildings still standing that were previously connected to the one that fell. Officials have ordered those buildings evacuated while the investigation proceeds, and Foster said the city should consider demolishing them before they too give way.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani addressed those concerns at a press conference on Thursday, confirming that officials are working with the department of buildings to examine 100 other sites across New York City with connections to the collapsed building. "If there is anyone or any entity operating in this city that bears responsibility for what happened, we will hold them fully accountable," Mamdani said, adding that "the city has come together to stand along those who are experiencing this hardship."

Ahmed Tigani, the department of buildings commissioner, said at the same press conference that no violations or complaints had been reported for the building or the nearby construction site, though he stressed that examinations will continue.

James Williams, a Brooklyn native who works at the Chelsea Deli Grocery directly across from the wreckage, said he heard loud banging from the construction site from about 7am to 4pm on Wednesday, noises that "sounded like a big gunshot." He knew the workers, he said, because they often came into the deli for lunch. At around 4pm he smelled metal fumes and saw bricks falling, then watched the building sink roughly two minutes later. "There were people trying to get out," he said, close to tears. "I don't even really want to think about that. I couldn't even go over there to even help anybody."

Across the street, staff at Cyrus Medical Group spent Thursday morning reviewing surveillance footage to see whether any of their patients were caught in the collapse. Winsome Rogers, a family nurse practitioner who has worked there for less than a year, said the area is usually calm and voiced concern about dust and unhealthy air rising from the debris. "I hope whoever's in the rubble is wearing masks," she said.

The Red Cross has set up a supply center at the Flatbush YMCA down the street, offering temporary housing, social services and mental health support. Wis Santilous, who works at a nearby homeless shelter, said he came to the scene after seeing the news on social media, hoping no one from his shelter was involved. "Everybody just wants everybody to just be alright," he said. "Who knows how many people could've just passed away in front of us?"