A newly released video filmed inside a Brooklyn apartment shows the terrifying seconds when a building gave way earlier this week, killing eight people and leaving nearly 20 others injured.
The three-story building in Flatbush collapsed Wednesday, triggering a large-scale emergency response.
The footage, recorded inside the third-floor apartment of resident Anderson Velez, shows the home beginning to buckle as a living room wall suddenly crumbles.
Emergency crews respond after a Brooklyn building collapsed Wednesday, killing eight people. (Ryan Murphy/AP Photo)
According to Gothamist, Velez’s 9-year-old son appears in the video holding a baby bottle and taking a gallon of milk from the refrigerator while a 2-year-old child plays nearby. Seconds later, Velez’s wife rushes through a doorway screaming. The boy runs toward her as the apartment walls disintegrate around them.
“I am still in shock,” Velez told the outlet. “The truth is, I’m trying to be strong for my son, but I feel terrible.”
Rescuers worked for hours through the debris before authorities confirmed that eight people had died.
“I am heartbroken that eight New Yorkers have now lost their lives and at least 17 have been injured, including three firefighters,” New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said in a post on X.
An excavator removes debris Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026, from the Brooklyn site where a building collapsed. (James Cirrone for News Media)
“There are no words for a loss of this magnitude,” Mamdani added. “My heart is with the families and loved ones of those we have lost, those who are injured and everyone grieving today.”
The owner of the neighboring property is also facing questions about earlier construction violations. News Media previously reported that a contractor continued work despite a city-issued stop-work order in March.
New York City Buildings Commissioner Ahmed Tigani said excavation was taking place at the Bedford Avenue property next door when the collapse occurred.
“The type of work they were conducting was excavation work on that job site. And so, that was what they were working on today,” Tigani said.
First responders gather at the scene of the Brooklyn building collapse on Nov. 11, 2026. (kena betancur/AFP via Getty Images)
“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,” Tigani said. “At this point, all we have at this time is excavation work in that section of the construction site.”