According to The New York Times, the Brooklyn district attorney’s office has opened an investigation into the Flatbush building collapse that left eight people dead on Nov. 11.
The criminal inquiry was in early stages on Thursday, Nov. 12, but was delayed as rescue teams continued to search rubble through the pouring rain. The prosecutors were conducting the inquiry with the Department of Investigation and the Department of Buildings, officials said.
“We are working closely with the Department of Buildings and our law enforcement partners to determine whether any criminal conduct contributed to this tragedy,” said Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez on the evening of the collapse in a statement.
According to a press release from the Office of assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, representing District 42, FDNY officially concluded their search of the debris the afternoon of Nov. 12.
The cause of the collapse still remains unclear.
“If there is anyone or any entity operating in this city that bears responsibility for what happened, we will hold them fully accountable,” said New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani at a press conference on Nov. 12.
The Buildings Department said that developers of the adjacent construction site had an active permit for excavation and foundation work. They also said that engineers were conducting structural stability inspections of surrounding buildings.
Some residents, however, were concerned about the construction site and its potential role in the collapse.
One eyewitness claimed to have watched the building fall after hearing loud banging from construction crews the morning before the collapse, although there has not been confirmation of the construction’s link to the building falling.
A 311 complaint was filed in the hours following the collapse, and although the author of the complaint was not clear, the caller seemed to have engineering knowledge of excavation plans, The New York Times said.
“My concern is that the subcontractor may have excavated too much of the area along the neighboring foundation at once,” the complaint said. “Please determine whether the excavation sequence, the extent of foundation exposure or the soil and groundwater conditions contributed to the collapse.”
The complaint also urged officials to compare approved drawings of the construction with the work performed in the field.
Law enforcement officials said the complaint would be an area of focus in the criminal inquiry.
Local officials and impacted residents continue to mourn the tragedy. Assemblymember Hermelyn announced a donation drop-off location, at the Flatbush YMCA at 1401 Flatbush Ave., where New Yorkers can drop off physical and monetary donations to go directly to impacted residents.
“Our Flatbush community continues to grieve the devastating building collapse,” she said.
