New York City Crane Collapse Leaves One Dead, Two Seriously Injured

Debris and a mangled crane lie in the street in New York’s Tribeca neighborhood in Lower Manhattan following a deadly collapse on Friday, Feb. 5, 2016. AP Photo/Colleen Long

NEW YORK—One person died and two others were seriously injured when a crane collapsed in Lower Manhattan, smashing the roofs of parked cars as it crashed onto the street, authorities said.

READ MORE

• PHOTOS: Crane Collapses in New York, 1 Dead, Possible Gas Leak (Video)

The collapsed red metal lattice landed across an intersection and stretched much of a block after the accident, which occurred around 8:25 a.m. in the Tribeca neighborhood, about 10 blocks north of the World Trade Center. There was damage on the roof of a nearby building and debris littered the street.

“It was right outside my window,” said Robert Harold, who works at the Legal Aid Society. “It was a crashing sound. You could feel the vibration in the building. I looked out the window and saw it lying in the street.”

This photo courtesy of Paul Leys shows a crane collapse in Lower Manhattan on Friday, Feb. 5, 2016 in New York. The accident was reported around early Friday in the Tribeca neighborhood. The crane landed across several parked cars, smashing their roofs. Paul Leys via AP

Emergency workers gather at the scene of a crane collapse in the Tribeca section of Manhattan in New York on Friday, Feb.5, 2016. The crane landed across several parked cars, smashing their roofs.AP Photo/Colleen Long

A collapsed crane lies on the street on Friday, Feb. 5, 2016, in New York. The crane landed across an intersection and stretched much of a block in the Tribeca neighborhood, about 10 blocks north of the World Trade Center. There was damage to the roof of a nearby building, and debris littered the street. AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews

 

Harold said at least one person was trapped in a car and he saw onlookers trying to get the person out. Harold said he also saw a person lying motionless on the street.

Church Street was blocked off for at least 3 blocks and nearby buildings were evacuated. Officers told people arriving for work that they should go home.