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.