In a tragic incident, a 33-year-old construction worker lost his life on Friday when the first floor of a two-story residential home collapsed in Borough Park, Brooklyn. According to city officials, the collapse occurred while illegal work was being performed on the structure.

The Fire and Buildings Department officials stated that three construction workers were present at the site when the first floor gave way, trapping and killing one of the workers. Fortunately, the other workers managed to survive, and no other victims were found in the vicinity.

Emergency responders and police arrived swiftly at the scene after receiving a distress call around 12 p.m. Despite the efforts of the emergency medical service workers, the 33-year-old worker was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Department of Buildings revealed that the work being carried out on the site was unauthorized. Commissioners agreed that the fatality could have been prevented if proper procedures had been followed. DOB Commissioner James Oddo stated, "There are absolutely no plans submitted to the Department of Buildings, so this fatality absolutely should not have happened. They should not have been doing this work, let alone having a Bobcat [construction vehicle] inside this structure."

It was later discovered that the Department of Buildings had received complaints about the site in late December but were denied access to the site. After returning in early January, building officials issued a partial stop-work order, limiting construction activities due to safety concerns. Commissioner Oddo pointed out, "The only work that should have been done at this site is to make the site safe, and as you can see, that stop-work order was violated."

The identity of the deceased worker has not yet been released by the police until his family has been notified. This incident marks the first construction site fatality in New York City this year, according to the Department of Buildings.

Records from the Department of Buildings show that the property received a partial stop-work order in late December for "interior demolition of an occupied residential building" without the necessary permits. Inspectors subsequently flagged work on the excavation and foundation of a wall without approval. The partial stop-work order was still valid on the day of the incident.

Juda Horowitz, listed as the owner of the building in court filings, building records, and tax documents, did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

This unfortunate incident is the second residential building collapse in recent weeks. In mid-December, an apartment building in the Bronx partially collapsed, displacing numerous residents.

New data from federal sources reveals that New York City had experienced a five-year high in construction site deaths in 2022. To address this issue, lawmakers introduced stricter penalties for companies whose workers suffer fatal injuries. This measure, known as Carlos' Law, is named in honor of Carlos Moncayo, who lost his life in a construction site accident in Manhattan in 2015.

It is important to note that construction site deaths and injuries rarely result in criminal charges or convictions. However, last April, a construction and management company faced manslaughter charges after one worker died and four others were injured in a Bronx incident. Additionally, a contractor was convicted of criminally negligent homicide last May, five years after a worker was crushed by nearly eight tons of debris on a construction site in Brooklyn.