Resident of collapsed Bronx apartment building says he returned to find his unit ransacked
NEW YORK -- Bronx residents of more than half the apartments damaged in a building collapse in December are still waiting to go home.
That includes a man who tells CBS New York's Jenna DeAngelis when he was briefly allowed back in, many of his belongings had been stolen.
While crews continue repairing the Bronx apartment building which partially collapsed on Dec. 11, for the first time since getting forced out, some families are back home.
The Department of Buildings partially lifted the vacate order on the building's south wing after repairs were made, barriers were constructed, and DOB structural engineers determined the side of the building was safe, allowing 21 units to be re-occupied Wednesday.
Pedro Rodriguez was staying with his mother in the apartment he spent decades of his life in while recovering from a recent lung transplant when the unthinkable happened.
"I was in the bath, taking a bath, and I hear everybody saying the building's falling down," he said.
They were able to get out and have only been allowed back in briefly to retrieve belongings. He showed us photos of what he returned to and says it was shocking.
"Fire department left the doors open. People broke in the doors. They took everything. They took cash. They took whatever they can. This is a mess. My apartment is ransacked, everything upside down," he said.
It's not clear how people allegedly got in, but we're told the day of the collapse, first responders broke down some apartment doors to ensure the building was evacuated, and the landlord has been apparently providing building security.
We reached out to the landlord to find out about building security, but we have not heard back.
Meanwhile, Rodriguez is struggling, trying to pick up the pieces.
"Here I am -- no money, no clothes, no apartment, no food ... No information on what's going on with the building," he said. "I'm not the type of guy who asks for help ... There comes a time when you have to say be a macho man and say you need help."
When medically cleared, Rodriguez hopes to go back home to Florida, but he expressed concern for his 89-year-old mother returning to the place that holds so many memories, and now, trauma.
"It's not safe ... And you have to go back and think about it, go to sleep, is this thing gonna fall on top of me now?" he said. "I don't trust the building no more."
A spokesperson with the Department of Buildings told CBS New York, "The landlords are continuing to make repairs on the north wing of the building, and we expect that once those repairs are complete, our engineers can reevaluate that side of the building and possibly amend the Vacate Order to allow for occupancy of a majority of the units in that wing as well. The landlord is repairing any broken doors as a part of this process."