Man killed in collapse of building that was being worked on without a permit

A construction worker was trapped under rubble and killed Friday when the first floor of a Brooklyn home whose owner had been cited for building without a permit collapsed.

The man was found by officers who responded to the report of a collapsed building at 1266 50th Street in the Borough Park neighborhood. The worker was found unconscious, police said, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Three people were working in the basement just after noon when the steel decks used to build the first floor gave way and collapsed in a V-shape, said Joseph Ferrante, assistant chief of the New York Fire Department. Thursday in a news briefing. The exact cause of the collapse is unknown, he said, but construction materials were found on the first floor.

Officials were unable to identify the victim. There were no other casualties, Mr. Ferrante said, and there was no damage to neighboring homes.

The collapse occurred on a mainly residential street with small brick apartment buildings and townhouses. As emergency crews worked, dozens of people gathered on the curb and nearby building sidewalks under a light rain to watch the firefighters, building inspectors and police officers who showed up en masse.

Many spectators remained standing as emergency response waned, leaving a smaller group of officers and inspectors and a cleaning crew in yellow vests to deal with the aftermath of the collapse.

According to Department of Buildings records, the home's owner, Judah Horowitz, was charged in January for allowing construction to be done without a permit. Mr. Horowitz also received a partial cease and desist order.

Mr. Horowitz did not immediately respond to phone calls and an email Friday afternoon.

Inspectors went to the home in December after receiving two complaints but were unable to gain entry, Buildings Commissioner James Oddo said at the briefing. When inspectors returned in January, they saw excavation work being carried out and ordered the work to stop. The city had not received plans for the construction, Mr. Oddo said.

A subpoena violation hearing was scheduled for March 13 at the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings.

“The only work that should have been done at this location is to make this location safe,” Mr Oddo said. “And as you can see, that stop-work order was violated.” The owner could face fines “in the six figures,” he said.

“This fatal accident absolutely should not have happened,” Mr Oddo said. “They shouldn't have done this job.”

Shortly before 2 p.m., firefighters carried a body bag out of the building and loaded it into the back door of a city van as emergency workers and neighbors watched quietly. After a few minutes the driver of the van drove away.

Matthew Haag And Patrick McGeehan reporting contributed. Sheelagh McNeill research contributed.