Building Partially Collapses, Crushes Several Cars In The Bronx
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - At least five cars were damaged Wednesday when a building partially collapsed in the Bronx.
Bricks came crashing down onto the street below, crushing several vehicles parking outside.
Dozens of bricks broke away near the top of the building at 850 East 140th Street in the Port Morris section just before 4 p.m.
One of those damaged cars, a white pickup truck, belongs to Richie Racioppi.
"Totaled, totaled, but thank god nobody got hurt. No firemen got hurt, that's all," Racioppi told CBS2's Valerie Castro.
The truck's owner works at the Silvercup soundstage across the street and says the building is soundproof, so he never heard the bricks crashing to the ground. He only saw the devastating aftermath.
"I ran out here and that's how I found it."
Racioppi said he's thankful the incident didn't happen a day earlier.
"I was eating lunch and took a nap lunch time yesterday in the same spot, in my truck, so somebody was looking out, right?"
The FDNY was called to the scene, but luckily, there were no injuries reported.
Inspectors from the Department of Buildings were called out to document and take a closer look at the damage.
Of the five cars that were damaged, some were still drivable and only had some scratches. The cars still at the site will have to be towed away.
DOB officials added that other sections of brick along the building's wall are leaning toward the street and are at risk of falling. They've determined the overall structure is still stable.
The street surrounding the building remained closed Wednesday night.
