Follow-Up: Brooklyn DA Opens Criminal Investigation Into Flatbush Collapse; NY Attorney General Stands With Victims' Families

NEW YORK — The search for accountability in the Brooklyn Flatbush building collapse, which killed eight people and injured 18, has entered the criminal-investigation stage. According to The New York Times, the office of Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez has opened a criminal investigation into the November 11 collapse of the three-story building at 1321 Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, with prosecutors working alongside the New York City Department of Investigation and the Department of Buildings to determine whether criminal conduct played a role in the tragedy. No one has been charged so far, and the cause of the collapse has not been determined; the opening of an investigation is the start of the accountability process, not a finding that any person or company committed a crime.

Gonzalez posted on social media on the day of the collapse that he was "heartbroken by the tragic loss of life in today's building collapse in Flatbush," adding: "We are working closely with the Department of Buildings and our law enforcement partners to determine whether any criminal conduct contributed to this tragedy." He restated that position in a statement on Thursday, and his office is conducting its own investigation into whether any laws were broken.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani said on November 12 that a tragedy of this magnitude demands a comprehensive and thorough investigation that includes both the construction site and the building which collapsed, and that the Department of Buildings and law enforcement are leading it. The Buildings Department has identified five entities associated with the adjacent construction site, he said; those entities are associated with about 100 other sites across the city, and the department has begun sweeping them. Language in a vacate order on the department's website that had attributed the collapse to "unsafe construction operations at the adjacent property, 2625 Bedford Avenue," was removed by Thursday afternoon, and officials have not announced a cause.

Support at the state level followed on Friday morning. New York Attorney General Letitia James appeared at a news conference at the Flatbush YMCA alongside impacted families, the Rev. Al Sharpton and members of the New York City Council. According to USA Today, James offered support for the criminal investigation and called for increased protection for construction workers; she also promised a full investigation into the collapse and warned affected families to beware of scammers seeking to take advantage of them. The Flatbush YMCA has served as a reception center for displaced residents since the collapse.

The three-story building, built in 1930, collapsed at about 4 p.m. on November 11 and fell into the excavation pit of the adjacent construction site; the dead include two children. The Fire Department's search concluded on the afternoon of November 12, the site was turned over to the Buildings Department and the Police Department, and police have released the identities of the eight victims. Investigators will examine both the condition of the collapsed building and the excavation work at the neighboring site; whether anyone is charged, and when, will depend on what the investigation finds.

Related: Follow-Up: All Eight Victims of the Brooklyn Flatbush Building Collapse Identified; the Youngest Was 9 and the Oldest 31

Related: Three-Story Building Collapses in Flatbush, Brooklyn: 1 Dead, 12 Injured, One Still Trapped as Rescue Continues Into the Night

(Source: Brooklyn District Attorney's Office, New York State Attorney General's Office)

Source: 布鲁克林地区检察官办公室、纽约州总检察长办公室

Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)

Photo: 图：布鲁克林 Flatbush 楼塌现场：消防员在坠入相邻工地基坑的废墟中作业，黄色挖掘机停在基坑内，右侧为侧墙被撕开的相邻楼房。纽约市消防局（FDNY）官方发布照片。 / Photo: Firefighters work through the rubble of the collapsed Flatbush building inside the adjacent excavation pit, with an excavator in the pit and the sheared neighboring building at right. Official photo released by the New York City Fire Department (FDNY).

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