What we know so far
• An under-construction Midtown Manhattan building that was evacuated after structural columns buckled remains unstable, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said, describing the situation as “extremely serious.”
• No injuries were reported, and all workers are accounted for, the New York Fire Department said.
• The Midtown Manhattan building, located on East 42nd street, is the former headquarters for Pfizer and is currently being converted into apartments. It sits east of the Chrysler Building and Grand Central Terminal and west of the UN headquarters.
• Nearby buildings were also evacuated as a precaution. Most of 42nd and 43rd Streets, between 1st and 3rd Avenues, have been closed to pedestrians and vehicles.
“It’s a very serious situation" as building continues to move, FDNY fire chief says
New York City Fire Department commissioner Lillian Bonsignore confirmed that an assessment was done “and the building was determined to be unstable.”
“So, we started evacuations of the building and the surrounding areas, establishing a collapsed zone,” Bonsignore added.
“It’s a very serious situation,” New York City Fire Department Chief John Esposito added.
“The box beams, the steel beams, have started to bend and deflect from the weight. We evacuated the building and started evacuations of surrounding buildings, and the building has continued to move since we’ve been on the scene,” Esposito said.
“We have a frozen zone and a collapse zone set up, and we are working with the Buildings Department and the building engineer to make sure that this is safe for all people and for all New Yorkers,” he said.
"The building remains unstable," Mamdani says
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani warned that the high-rise’s structural integrity is unstable.
“The building remains unstable,” Mamdani said during a news conference. “Since arriving on scene we’ve witnessed additional movement in one of the compromised columns.”
Engineers investigating structural integrity of building with FDNY drones, mayor says
Engineers with the New York City Department of Buildings are investigating the structural integrity of the Manhattan high-rise with Fire Department of New York drones, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said during a news conference Tuesday.
Nine nearby buildings evacuated as a precaution
Nine buildings in the area surrounding the former Pfizer headquarters building, between Grand Central Terminal and the United Nations headquarters, have been evacuated as a precaution after structural columns on the building’s 21st floor buckled, according to the FDNY.
The list of buildings includes the following:
- 815 2nd Ave
- 217 E 43rd St
- 211 E 43rd St
- 210 E 43rd St
- 231 E 43rd St
- 225 E 43rd St
- 235 E 42nd St
- 235 E 43rd St
- 681-701 3rd Ave AKA 201-207 3rd Ave
Dispatch audio of FDNY crews responding to scene in Manhattan
Crews with the New York City Fire Department can be heard on dispatch audio from Broadcastify.com responding to the incident in Midtown Manhattan where columns in a high-rise building buckled.
Listen to the audio here:
“We’re getting reports from the construction that two columns buckled on the 21st floor; have all special units continue in,” one first responder said.
Another first responder said that multiple crews were at the building assessing the situation.
“The construction company has done a roll call; all construction workers are accounted for at this time,” the first responder added.
2 workers from the construction site say the project added additional floors
Two men scheduled to work on the upper floors of the construction project showed up this morning but were turned around, the workers told CNN.
The workers declined to share their names. One of the men said the project has added additional floors to the top, and he was set to work on the 35th floor this morning. But just as he was about to get into the construction elevator shortly before 8:30 a.m., a staff member turned him around, he said.
The second worker said the “problem is on the back of the building.” He told CNN that nothing is visible on the side of the building that is facing 42nd Street and 2nd Avenue.
“It’s all happening towards the back of the building,” he said.
That worker said he was also evacuated. He said he works on the periphery of the building – not inside – and confirmed the project has added floors on top of already existing ones.
Here’s where the high-rise is located
The under-construction building, which was evacuated after some of its structural columns buckled, is located on 42nd Street on the east side of Manhattan — about a block away from the Chrysler Building.
Earlier Tuesday morning, officials received a call about falling bricks from a 33-story building under construction near 235 East 42nd Street — the former headquarters of Pfizer, located between Grand Central Terminal and the United Nations headquarters.
The building sits between Second and Third avenues. Most of 42nd and 43rd Streets, between First and Third Avenues, have been closed to pedestrians and vehicles.
This post has been updated with additional details.
FDNY remains on scene after "reports of potential structural issues”
The New York City fire department “remains on scene at 235 East 42nd Street in Manhattan as partner agencies investigate reports of potential structural issues,” the FDNY posted on X.
Earlier, the FDNY said it responded to the location “for a major technical rescue response.”
Mayor, city officials to hold news conference shortly
New York City officials are expected to hold a news conference around noon to provide an update on the 33-story, under-construction high-rise in Midtown Manhattan, which has been evacuated due to buckled columns, cracks and crumbled floors.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani is expected to brief the public after attending an interagency meeting with agencies responding to the incident, including the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) and the New York City Department of Buildings.
The timing of the news conference is subject to change.
Manhattan high-rise building was once home to Pfizer headquarters
The Manhattan high-rise, formerly home to pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, is being converted into what its developers say will be the largest office-to-residential conversion in New York City’s history, according to online project plans from the design architect. The project is scheduled to be completed in 2027.
"I-beams are bending like cigarettes in there," union rep tells NYT
More details are emerging on the condition of a Midtown Manhattan high-rise after its structural columns collapsed.
Fitters were evacuated after the beams started to bend, Cliff Johnsen, a business agent for Steamfitters Local 638, told The New York Times.
Construction worker captures video of buckled columns inside Manhattan high-rise
Segundo Chauca shared a video with CNN of the buckled columns inside the Midtown Manhattan high-rise.
Cahuca told CNN he has worked on this site for more than a year, and this morning he was working on the 8th floor. Shortly before 8 a.m., they were evacuated from the building after the columns were found to be buckled and the beams bent.
Cahuca went on to say all of their belongings remain inside the building.
Evacuations ordered after columns buckle at Midtown Manhattan high-rise under construction
A high-rise under construction in New York City and nearby buildings have been evacuated after structural columns buckled on the 21st floor of the 33-story building, sending bricks falling onto the street below, according to the fire department.
Inspectors also found multiple cracks and sagging floors on the building’s 21st floor.
No injuries were reported and all workers were accounted for, the FDNY said, adding that nearby buildings in Midtown Manhattan were being evacuated as a precaution.
Most of 42nd and 43rd Streets, between 1st and 3rd Avenues, have been closed to pedestrians and vehicles. The FDNY has also asked for East 44th Street to be closed between Second and Third avenues.
A nearby school with about 400 children was also evacuated, according to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
“All of this is a reflection of the fact that our top priority right now is the safety of those who live in this area, the safety of those who work in this area,” Mamdani said, adding that the city’s Department of Buildings inspectors and engineers “are on site working quickly to secure the site.”
