Building Collapses in New York's Orthodox Jewish Neighborhood: What We Know

At least one person is dead after a building partially collapsed Friday in Brooklyn's Borough Park, according to the New York Fire Department (FDNY).

Multiple emergency crews were on the scene after reports of a basement floor collapse at a building said to be under construction at 1266 50th Street in Brooklyn.The person who died was possibly a construction worker. There were no other injuries.

Borough Park is home to one of the largest Orthodox and Hasidic Jewish populations in the U.S., according to the Brooklyn Jewish Historical Initiative's webpage.

Video of the emergency response shared on X (formerly Twitter) shows the extensive emergency response to the collapse. Many onlookers crowded the streets, although New York City's emergency notification system advised people to avoid the area.

"A major emergency response is underway following a building collapse, with people trapped inside and reported fatalities #Brooklyn | #Newyork," social media account @rawsalerts posted.

It went on: "Currently, numerous emergency crews and other authorities are on site in Brooklyn, New York, responding to a building that has collapsed as Firefighters have declared the scene a major emergency, reporting that people are possibly trapped inside, with at least one fatality confirmed. Law enforcement are asking people to avoid the area as the situation is still developing."

The FDNY told Newsweek the emergency call came in just after noon Eastern time.

A follow-up post from Raws Alerts said: "Firefighters advised that one construction worker has been killed and has been removed from the rubble after a basement collapsed no one else has been reported injured at this time."

The account's video has been viewed more than 160,000 times as of 1:45 p.m. Eastern time.

A spokesperson from the New York Department of Buildings (DOB) told Newsweek that "at the time of the collapse, there was an active Partial Stop Work Order at the building, prohibiting any construction work from occurring except for housekeeping work that might be necessary to make the site safe."

When DOB inspectors arrived on the scene, they learned that the cold-form steel decking installed on the first floor had collapsed into the basement. The investigation is ongoing.

In response to the video on social media, several people expressed concern about collapsing buildings in New York.

"Yet another day, yet another building collapse. What's happening? Are city inspections failing to detect the risk of collapse in aging structures?" one person posted.

"Isn't this the second collapse in like a month there like right near each other? I remember you reporting on another collapse there not too long ago. Praying for all involved especially the 1st responders," another said.

In December, part of a seven-story residential building in the city's Bronx borough collapsed, but no fatalities or severe injuries were reported.

Update 2/2/24, 8:01 p.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from the New York Department of Buildings.