Monday, May 18, 2015

BRICKS FALL FROM FAÇADE OF UPPER WEST SIDE BUILDING, LEAVING 2-YEAR-OLD GIRL BRAIN DEAD, AND INJURING HER GRANDMOTHER








MAY 18, 2015

UPPER WEST SIDE OF MANHATTAN, NYC

Terracotta bricks from the facade of a building on the Upper West Side of Manhattan fell and struck a 2-year-old girl and her grandmother who were sitting on a sidewalk bench on Sunday. 

The toddler, Greta Greene, was taken off life support and died Monday at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell hospital, sources told Fox 5 News. Later Monday evening, the NYPD confirmed her death. 

The incident happened early Sunday of The Esplanade, a residence for seniors, on West End Avenue near 74th Street. The bricks fell from the eighth floor of the building's exterior. A heavy piece fell right on Greta.

The grandmother had non-life threatening injuries. Her condition was unknown.

A city Department of Buildings emergency crew was sent to the site to investigate. Officials ordered the building owner to erect a protective shed on the sidewalk and also issued two violations for failing to maintain the facade of the building. 

A DOB spokesperson told Fox 5 that the last facade inspection report was filed in 2011. At that time, the conditions were listed as safe.

“A violation has been issued for a failure to maintain the property in a safe and code compliant manner. The department is requiring that the property owner construct a sidewalk shed on the property to protect the public,” the department said in a statement.

There were no recent complaints made regarding the building’s facade conditions prior to the incident, records show.

The family that owns the building sent Fox 5 this statement: "The entire Scharf family is heartbroken by this tragedy. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Greta Greene's family. We are fully cooperating with city emergency response agencies and the Department of Buildings to determine the cause of this horrible incident and to safeguard the public."

Under city law, owners of buildings taller than six stories must have exterior walls inspected once every five years.