A three-story mixed-use building in Flatbush crumbled into an adjacent excavation pit Wednesday afternoon in a terrifying collapse that left at least two people dead and up to 19 injured, including seven children, as more than 250 firefighters clawed through unstable debris in a frantic search for survivors.
The building at 1321 Flatbush Avenue, a roughly 1930 structure with a ground-floor business and apartments above, gave way around 4 p.m. and slid into the open construction site next door at 2625 Bedford Avenue, where crews had been excavating. The first 911 call came in at 4:01 p.m., and FDNY units arrived within a minute, launching a fourth-alarm technical rescue amid warnings of a possible secondary collapse.
The neighboring building at 1323 Flatbush Avenue had an entire side wall sheared off, exposing bedrooms, closets with clothes still hanging on hangers, and personal belongings in a grim dollhouse view of the destruction. Construction workers and residents were among those trapped in the mountain of bricks, wood, and debris that filled the pit.
Among the dead was Jose Luis Caguana, a 26-year-old Ecuadorian immigrant who had been in the U.S. for about six years working construction to support his family. His pregnant wife, due very soon, and their young child were left reeling; she was too distraught to speak on camera. Officials said four of the injured were in critical condition, with 12 more stable, plus a firefighter treated for minor injuries. A pregnant woman was among those pulled alive from the rubble hours into the operation, along with a toddler and at least two other survivors.
FDNY Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore described the scene as “extremely dangerous,” with crews using excavators, drones, search dogs, chainsaws, and ladders to dig through voids while watching for further collapse. Mayor Zohran Mamdani visited the site and urged New Yorkers to pray for the victims and the injured, calling it an “incredibly challenging and fast-moving situation” with “precarious wreckage.” The number of missing remains unknown as the search stretched into the night.
The cause is under investigation by the Department of Buildings and law enforcement. Excavation was underway next door for a planned three-story building (a nine-story proposal had not yet been approved), with earthwork permits issued in September. Records show the collapsed building had dozens of open violations for issues including electrical problems and missing smoke detectors. A prior stop-work order had been issued at the construction site earlier this year.
A Red Cross reception center opened at the Flatbush YMCA for displaced residents. As of late Wednesday, authorities warned the operation could take days. The full toll, and whether more remain buried, is still emerging from the rubble.
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