The horrific collapse of a 3-story building in Brooklyn has prompted a sprawling investigation into building standards in a city that has suffered numerous building collapses blamed on faulty construction or maintenance.
In 2023, a Manhattan parking garage collapsed
, and an investigation blamed the unauthorized destruction of a load-bearing pier. The same year, a building partially collapsed in the Bronx and the city found an engineer failed to take necessary precautions.On Nov. 13, city officials pledged a thorough investigation and New York Attorney General Letitia James said the elected officials gathered would support hiring more building inspectors if needed.
“It’s important that owners and contractors follow safety rules, and that when
a worker sees something dangerous, they can speak up and be heard without being disciplined,” James said. “The families in this community deserve answers about what led to this collapse, and I have faith that investigators will follow the facts, and that anyone found responsible will be held to account.”
Anthony Piderit, a structural engineer in New York City and past president of the Structural Engineers Association of New York, told USA TODAY that the city's challenges with maintaining old buildings aren't unique, and the high-profile tragedies reflect the sheer size of the city.
The city is unique in its number of old buildings in varying conditions. He also said its building code is likely the strongest in the country concerning construction at adjacent properties, making the Brooklyn collapse “unacceptable.”
He said most projects are completed “safely and successfully that the project gets completed without a collapsed building.”
“Otherwise, we would see a lot more of that in the news,” Piderit said.
Two children and six adults, including two construction workers, died in the tragedy. Eighteen people − 14 civilians and four firefighters − were injured due to the collapse at 1321 Flatbush Ave. in the Brooklyn borough of New York City.
A vacate order for the building on the New York City’s Department of Buildings had said the collapse was due to "unsafe construction operations at the adjacent property, 2625 Bedford Avenue.” But by Thursday afternoon, the department's web site no longer contained that language.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani said earlier in the week that the Department of Buildings had identified five entities associated with the construction site.
"The Department of Buildings is commencing sweeps of those sites to ensure that if there is anything New Yorkers need to be worried about, that we are on the scene, and we are doing something about it."
A review of past high-profile incidents of building collapses shows that city inspectors do find answers, but it may take years. The review also shows previous collapses have largely avoided large death tolls.
Piderit told USA TODAY these incidents are rare and "people should feel safe in the buildings they live in."
Manhattan building buckled
In July, two columns in a Manhattan skyscraper buckled on the 21st and 22nd floors, while floors were sagging between the 21st and 26th floors. Crews were able to stabilize the building and no injuries were reported.
Nathan Berman, founder of MetroLoft, the building's developer, told The Wall Street Journal he believes additional weight from the widening of about 15 top floors probably caused the support columns to buckle.
A chimney collapsed at a public housing complex in the Bronx
In 2025, an explosion at a public housing complex in the Bronx caused the building to partially collapse. A chimney along all 20 floors crumbled, leaving a gouge of brick down the entirety of one corner. The destruction left a gouge in the building.
The explosion sent debris flying into the street below. Authorities said at the time no one was killed or injured. Some of the building’s residents said the city and building management had ignored other issues with the building.
A Manhattan parking garage pancaked
In 2023, a parking garage in lower Manhattan’s financial district collapsed, killing one and injuring seven others. The collapse sent cars tumbling on top of each other and the floors sunk to the cellar level.
A report released by the city in 2025 found that the unauthorized demolition of a load-bearing pier helped lead to the collapse of the 98-year-old structure and called the tragedy “preventable.”
Bronx building corner crumbled
In 2023, the corner of a seven-story apartment building in the Bronx collapsed, displacing more than 140 residents right before Christmas. No one was seriously injured or killed due to the 96-old-building’s partial collapse.
A 2024 city report stated the collapse was caused by the removal of a load-bearing masonry pier. It also found the engineer tied to the project failed to identify the pier as load-bearing.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Unacceptable': NYC building collapse prompts familiar scrutiny
