NEW YORK — One person was killed and at least five people were injured on Tuesday when a parking garage partially collapsed in the financial district of New York City, authorities said.
One person was pronounced dead at the scene, four were injured and one person refused medical treatment, WABC-TV reported. There were six workers inside the building at the time of the collapse, John Esposito, the New York City Fire Department’s chief of operations, told reporters at a news conference. Four of the workers were hospitalized in stable condition, Esposito said.
Officials do not believe anyone else is trapped inside the collapsed garage, WPIX-TV reported.
The three-story parking garage in Lower Manhattan is located next to a building at Pace University, according to WABC. The building is located at 57 Ann Street between Nassau Street and William Street, the television station reported.
HAPPENING NOW: @NYCMayor and other leaders give an update on the collapse of a parking garage in Lower Manhattan. https://t.co/kD4aE2DKzg pic.twitter.com/dbKtAQ48m7
— NYC Mayor's Office (@NYCMayorsOffice) April 18, 2023
According to officials with the New York Fire Department, the second floor of the building collapsed into the first floor at about 4:15 p.m. EDT, WNBC-TV reported.
“We have no reason to believe this is anything other than a structural collapse,” Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell said during a news conference.
Officials evacuated the Pace University building as a precaution, according to WABC. According to a tweet from the university, all classes were canceled and accommodations were being made for students living in the school’s residential areas.
UPDATE Tuesday, April 18:
— Pace University (@PaceUniversity) April 18, 2023
Please be advised, following the partial collapse of a building near our NYC Campus, all classes on the NYC Campus will be canceled. 33 Beekman and 161 William have been evacuated and accommodations are being made for our residential students.
“It felt like an earthquake,” Liam Gaeta, a student at Pace University, told The Associated Press. He said he heard “a large noise and a big rumbling, and then we all got evacuated.”
Pictures and video from the scene showed cars pancaked on top of one another and dust rising from the wreckage, according to The New York Times.
One worker was trapped on an upper floor and was calling for firefighters, WABC reported. During the news conference, officials said he was rescued and taken to another building.
The New York Sheriff’s Department parks their vehicles in the garage, New York City Sheriff Anthony Miranda told WNBC. All members of the department are accounted for. The concern is now whether parking garage employees and other parking garage users are safe.
FDNY officials provide an update on a parking garage collapse in Lower Manhattan https://t.co/nTinhAuMZy
— FDNY (@FDNY) April 18, 2023
Officials evacuated the university building next to the garage, WABC reported.
NYPD officials said it pulled emergency services workers from the site because of concerns about the building’s structural integrity, the Times reported. Rescue teams used tower ladders to search for victims, and fire officials used drones and a robotic dog, according to the newspaper.
The collapse left the building “completely unstable,” Mayor Eric Adams said at the news conference.
The building is owned by Ann Street LLC, according to Buildings Department records. Lance Howard, who is identified as a contact for the company, did not respond to a request for comment, the Times reported.
