Dramatic video captured the moment a New York City building collapsed, sending a terrified resident down a staircase that had suddenly been exposed.
Ring camera footage obtained by James Williams showed the adjoining building break away and crash to the ground at about 4 p.m. Wednesday in Flatbush, Brooklyn.
In the video, a brown staircase stands by itself as the building’s structural support disintegrates into dust. Wall decorations could still be seen hanging inside the exposed rooms.
Screams can be heard as debris from the corner building shoots into the newly opened space, while additional rubble falls to the ground below.
An FDNY firefighter is seen assessing the extensive damage from atop the portion of the structure that remained standing.
Moments later, a resident emerges from the apartment beside the collapsed wall. The firefighter carefully helps the person down the staircase, according to the footage.
Officials said eight people were killed, including two children and two construction workers who were at the site when the building gave way.
Cousins Nicole Daniela Rodriguez, 9, and Kevin Santiago Reyes Gonzalez, 10, died in the collapse, according to The New York Times.
Terrifying footage shows a three-story building collapsing in Brooklyn at about 4 p.m. Wednesday
A firefighter carefully led a resident down the staircase exposed by the collapse
The other victims were identified as Gabriel Siguencia, 22, Mamadou Barry, 23, Edgar Santiago Sapón Gutierrez, 26, José Luis Caguana, 26, and Juan Daniel Salvada Guzman, 31.
A 35-year-old man whose identity has not been released also died, the outlet reported.
Eighteen other people were injured, including one person who remained in critical condition, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Thursday. Four firefighters were also hurt.
Search and rescue operations concluded late Thursday afternoon after authorities determined that no additional victims remained beneath the rubble. The property was then turned over to the NYPD and the NYC Department of Buildings.
Siguencia, a citizen of Ecuador, had only recently begun working at the site after arriving in the United States, relatives told CNN.
The 22-year-old worked as a carpenter and had been on the project for about two weeks, his family said.
‘He came to America looking for the same opportunities that people from all over the world come here for,’ family friend Javier Ortega said.
After learning about the collapse, Ortega drove Siguencia’s mother, Leonor Yupa, from her Connecticut home to the Brooklyn site.
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Screams rang out as debris from the corner building burst into the exposed area and rubble crashed to the ground
Eight people died, including José Luis Caguana, 26 (pictured), a husband and father who leaves behind his wife, four-year-old son and an unborn child
Caguana was identified Thursday morning after his brother, Carlos, told Univision that he was a construction worker who moved to the United States from Ecuador six years ago.
He was a devoted husband and father, leaving behind his wife, four-year-old son and an unborn baby who was due to arrive soon, according to a GoFundMe page.
‘Now that he’s gone, she is going through an immense amount of pain. She is in a very bad state right now – she’s completely overwhelmed and can’t even find the words to speak,’ Carlos said of his widowed sister-in-law.
Ecuador’s consulate in New York City confirmed the deaths and said it was providing support to the victims’ families.
Gutierrez’s relatives spent the night fearing the worst and even went to the morgue to determine whether he was there.
Marisela Vasquez, whose niece is married to Gutierrez, said the family received the news after arriving at the collapse site. Gutierrez also left behind a six-year-old son.
An injured worker, identified by relatives as 29-year-old Alvaro Miguel Caizaguano Toasa, was on the job when the building collapsed.
He had worked at the site for eight months, his family told ABC 7.
Search crews finished their work after officials said no further victims were found. The property was then transferred to the NYPD and the NYC Department of Buildings
His relatives said he was vomiting blood and was ‘not doing well’ while receiving treatment at Kings County Hospital.
Toasa supports two children, ages 3 and 7, and is the head of his household. His wife is also ill and unable to work.
The cause of the collapse remains under investigation. However, the NYC Buildings Department had previously found the structure to be ‘in poor condition and riddled with cracks,’ according to the NYT.
The newspaper also reported that LMW Engineering Group, based in Linden, New Jersey, was connected to the engineer of record for the building’s foundation work.
The company’s office was nearly empty Thursday, and its owner and managing partner, Jieming Wang, was not present, the report said.
Wang has worked at the firm for more than 28 years, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Our News Outlet contacted LMW Engineering Group for comment.
