NEW YORK (PIX11) --- The worker who died when a parking garage collapsed in Lower Manhattan Tuesday was in his office with some of his colleagues when the floors came crashing down, according to a manager who knows the victims and works at a nearby garage.
The victim's co-workers were able to run to safety, but he was unable to make it out, said Alessy Hernandez, the manager at the City Parking garage on Beekman Street.
"They were in the office and tried to get out but they lost contact and (the worker who died) was not seen out," he said. "I did know him really personally."
The collapse happened around 4:15 p.m. on Ann Street, between Nassau and Williams streets in the Financial District. Six workers were inside the building at the time of the collapse, according to John Esposito, the FDNY’s chief of operations.
One worker died, four other workers were hospitalized in stable condition, and one worker declined medical attention, Esposito said. The worker who died was still in the building, as of Wednesday morning, officials said.
Hernandez had left the area about 10 minutes before the deadly incident and was near the Holland Tunnel when he was sent a video of the scene.
"I was very concerned. I didn't know it was that bad. I just thought it was the back wall that fell but later saw ... the top floors had caved in and caused the pancake effect," Hernandez said.
Inspectors said the structure, which has four open building violations, could collapse completely at any time. Crews were on site to remove more than three dozen cars that were still in the garage.
Adam Cohen captured video of the FDNY’s robot dog at the building. He told PIX11 News his family was evacuated from their home and his car is on the roof of the collapsed garage. Cohen said it remains unclear when they’ll be able to return home.
“My wife was screaming, like something went down … she said they (first responders) were banging on the door, saying to evacuate the building,” Cohen said Wednesday morning. “I got home to see chaos. There were hundreds of cops and firefighters on the streets. Things shut down for blocks and blocks and blocks.”
Hundreds of Pace University students were temporarily displaced because one of the dorms was next to where the parking garage collapsed. Authorities decided the safest thing to do was completely evacuate the student housing building.
“This bag is all I have. My laptop, clothes, medication, everything I had to leave behind,” one student said.
“We heard a big boom. And we thought it hit our building. So we went to check the windows, and we immediately saw smoke. Cars were sinking – it looked out of a movie. It was horrible,” another student said.
Staten Island resident Jim Slattery had parked his car on the ground level of the garage less than 15 minutes before it collapsed.
“I heard it’s trashed inside all over the place. I haven’t thought about it. Because I heard someone was a fatality, unfortunately. So when you hear that, yeah – I’m very lucky,” Slattery said.
