NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani gives update after deadly Brooklyn building collapse
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Thursday at a news conference near the scene that investigators are examining the three-story building collapse on Flatbush Avenue that killed eight people. The Department of Buildings is also beginning inspections at construction sites with similar conditions.
The owner of a property beside the New York City building that collapsed Wednesday is facing renewed scrutiny over earlier construction violations. Public records show that a contractor ignored a city stop-work order issued in March.
The three-story building at 1321 Flatbush Ave. in Brooklyn collapsed Wednesday afternoon, killing at least eight people and prompting a large-scale emergency response. The disaster has focused attention on construction work at the neighboring site, where city records document previous violations and a stop-work order issued months before the collapse.
According to public records obtained by News Outlet, New York City’s Department of Buildings issued the order in March at 2621 Bedford Ave., the property next to the collapsed building.
The department found that the contractor, N Tech Design of America, had not put required safety measures in place, including protective netting and sheds, Department of Buildings spokesperson Andrew Rudansky told The Gothamist.
First responders work at the scene after a building collapsed in Brooklyn, New York, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)
About a month later, a Buildings Department inspector determined that demolition work had continued and imposed a $10,000 fine. The stop-work order was lifted May 8.
NYC Buildings Commissioner Ahmed Tigani said Wednesday that excavation was underway at the Bedford Avenue property when the neighboring building came down.
“The type of work they were conducting was excavation work on that job site. And so, that was what they were working on today. They have a plan approved for a three-story building, but they have current plans looking for a nine-story building, which has not yet been approved for. At this point, all we have at this time is excavation work in that section of the construction site,” Tigani said.
Tigani described the workers’ activity as “digging down.”
First responders work at the scene after a building collapsed in Brooklyn, New York, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)
Department records indicate that property owner Robert Fischman sent neighboring landlords a letter in June notifying them about the excavation work.
A representative of N Tech Design of America told WABC that the company handled the demolition but had left the property in late April or early May, well before Wednesday’s collapse.
The engineering plans for the adjacent project also considered the possibility that standing water could weaken nearby foundations. A drainage note said the work would include measures to prevent water from collecting, warning that accumulation “could cause damage to nearby building foundations on the subject property or on adjacent properties.”
It was not immediately known whether those measures had been carried out or whether engineers had recorded structural problems before the collapse.
“We have immediately launched a full investigation into how exactly this happened with our law enforcement partners, and we will be looking into all aspects of the building and the neighboring construction site,” Tigani said.
First responders tend to victims at a collapsed building in Brooklyn on Nov. 11, 2026. (kena betancur/AFP via Getty Images)
How the Brooklyn building collapse unfolded:
4:01 p.m.: Building collapses and first emergency call comes in
The New York Police Department said the first 911 call reporting the collapse at 1321 Flatbush Ave. was received at 4:01 p.m. The three-story mixed-use building fell into an excavation pit at the neighboring construction site. The collapse also ripped away a wall at 1323 Flatbush Ave., exposing apartments and stairwells.
4:02 p.m.: FDNY crews arrive at the scene
New York City firefighters reached the site within a minute. Some FDNY personnel were already nearby when the building gave way. The property housed a ground-floor business with apartments above it.
An excavator removes debris from the Brooklyn building collapse site Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026. (James Cirrone for News Outlet)
4:03 p.m.: City sends emergency alert
Notify NYC warned residents about heavy emergency activity, traffic disruptions and road closures around the collapse site.
4:30 p.m.: Reports say people are trapped in the rubble
Several news organizations reported that people remained trapped beneath the debris as FDNY crews began a major rescue operation.
First responders work at the scene after a building collapsed in Brooklyn, New York, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)
6:15 p.m.: Firefighters rescue conscious woman from debris
A CBS New York camera recorded firefighters speaking with a woman covered in dust after they reached her through a collapsed wall.
6:30–6:33 p.m.: Husband says pregnant wife survived
After firefighters placed the woman in an ambulance, a man who had been searching frantically for his wife told reporters that she had survived the collapse.
Damage is visible after a building collapsed in Brooklyn, New York, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)
9:03 p.m.: Mayor Mamdani confirms the initial death toll
Mayor Zohran Mamdani said at least 17 people had been injured and two had died. By Thursday morning, the number of fatalities from the collapse had risen to at least eight.
“I am heartbroken that eight New Yorkers have now lost their lives and at least 17 have been injured, including three firefighters,” Mamdani wrote in a post on X. “There are no words for a loss of this magnitude. My heart is with the families and loved ones of those we have lost, those who are injured and everyone grieving today.”
News Outlet sought comment from Fischman and N Tech Design of America.
