NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani gives update after deadly Brooklyn building collapse
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said at a Thursday news conference at the scene that investigators are examining the circumstances surrounding Wednesday’s collapse of a three-story building on Flatbush Avenue, which killed eight people. The Department of Buildings is also conducting sweeps of similar construction sites.
The owner of a property adjoining the site of Wednesday’s fatal New York City building collapse is under scrutiny over earlier construction violations, including a contractor’s decision to continue work despite a city stop-work order issued in March, according to public records.
The three-story building at 1321 Flatbush Ave. in Brooklyn collapsed Wednesday afternoon, killing at least eight people and prompting a large-scale emergency response. The disaster has focused attention on construction work at the neighboring property, where city records document previous violations and a stop-work order issued months before the collapse.
New York City’s Department of Buildings issued a stop-work order in March for the adjacent property at 2621 Bedford Ave., according to public records obtained by News Media.
The agency found that contractor N Tech Design of America had not installed required safety measures, including protective netting and sheds, Department of Buildings spokesperson Andrew Rudansky told The Gothamist.
First responders work at the scene after a building collapsed in Brooklyn, New York, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)
About a month later, a Department of Buildings inspector determined that demolition work had continued and imposed a $10,000 penalty. The stop-work order was lifted May 8.
NYC Buildings Commissioner Ahmed Tigani said Wednesday that excavation was underway at the Bedford Avenue property when the neighboring building collapsed.
“The type of work they were conducting was excavation work on that job site. And so, that was what they were working on today. They have a plan approved for a three-story building, but they have current plans looking for a nine-story building, which has not yet been approved for. At this point, all we have at this time is excavation work in that section of the construction site,” Tigani said.
Tigani said workers at the site were “digging down.”
First responders work at the scene after a building collapsed in Brooklyn, New York, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)
Department records show that Bedford Avenue property owner Robert Fischman sent neighboring landlords a letter in June notifying them about the excavation.
A representative of N Tech Design of America told WABC that the company handled the demolition but had left the site by late April or early May, months before Wednesday’s collapse.
Engineering plans for the neighboring project also considered the risk that pooled water could weaken nearby foundations. A drainage note said construction operations were designed to prevent water from accumulating, warning that it “could cause damage to nearby building foundations on the subject property or on adjacent properties.”
It remained unclear whether the safeguards described in the engineering plans had been put in place or whether officials had recorded structural concerns before the collapse.
“We have immediately launched a full investigation into how exactly this happened with our law enforcement partners, and we will be looking into all aspects of the building and the neighboring construction site,” Tigani said.
First responders attend to a collapsed building in Brooklyn on Nov. 11, 2026. (kena betancur/AFP via Getty Images)
Timeline of the Brooklyn building collapse:
4:01 p.m.: Building collapses and first emergency call comes in
The New York Police Department said the first 911 call reporting the collapse at 1321 Flatbush Ave. was received at 4:01 p.m. The three-story mixed-use building fell into an excavation pit at the neighboring construction site. The collapse also ripped away a wall at 1323 Flatbush Ave., exposing apartments and stairwells.
4:02 p.m.: FDNY firefighters arrive
New York City firefighters reached the scene within a minute. Some units were already nearby when the building came down. The property housed a street-level store with apartments on the floors above.
An excavator removes rubble from the site of a Brooklyn building collapse on Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026. (James Cirrone for News Media)
4:03 p.m.: City sends emergency alert
Notify NYC warned residents about heavy emergency activity, traffic delays and road closures in the area.
4:30 p.m.: Reports say people are trapped under the rubble
Several news organizations reported that people were trapped beneath the debris as the FDNY began a large-scale rescue operation.
First responders work at the scene after a building collapsed in Brooklyn, New York, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)
6:15 p.m.: Firefighters find conscious woman beneath debris
A CBS New York camera recorded firefighters speaking with a woman covered in dust after they broke through a collapsed wall.
6:30–6:33 p.m.: Husband says pregnant wife survived
After firefighters carried the woman to an ambulance, a man who had been frantically searching for his wife told reporters that she had survived the collapse.
Damage is visible after a building collapsed in Brooklyn, New York, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)
9:03 p.m.: Mayor Zohran Mamdani confirms deaths
Mayor Zohran Mamdani said at least 17 people had been injured and two had died. By Thursday morning, the number of fatalities from the collapse had risen to at least eight.
“I am heartbroken that eight New Yorkers have now lost their lives and at least 17 have been injured, including three firefighters,” Mamdani said in a post on X. “There are no words for a loss of this magnitude. My heart is with the families and loved ones of those we have lost, those who are injured and everyone grieving today.”
News Media requested comment from Fischman and N Tech Design of America.