One man is dead and another man is critically injured after a wall collapsed at a construction site in Bushwick on Thursday morning, NYPD officials said.
Police received a call at approximately 8:30 a.m. reporting that a wall had given way on Jefferson Street near Central Avenue, hitting two men, ages 47 and 40.
Both men were taken to area hospitals, where the 47-year-old was pronounced dead, according to the NYPD.
Mirian Rodríguez, who lives across the street from the site, said her daughter once owned the two-story home that stood at the location but sold it last year when she moved to Staten Island.
The new owners, Rodríguez said, had demolished the building in recent weeks. She said she was at church when she learned something had happened at the site.
“I’m so sad for the people who was working in there because I hear that someone passed away, someone died, someone is in critical,” said Rodríguez, 65. “It’s so sad.”
There is an active permit for foundation work at the site, along with “vertical enlargement of the structure,” according to the Department of Buildings. Inspectors noted a “portion of the rubble foundation had collapsed,” a spokesperson said.
By noon Thursday, an investigation was still underway at the site, a massive construction trench in the ground between two buildings. The street was closed off to traffic as officials investigated.
Representatives from the Department of Buildings were present, including Commissioner Ahmed Tigani.
This story is based on preliminary information from police and has been updated with additional details.
