Michelle Kim

City Shuts Down Manhattan Construction Site After Beam Falls 12 Stories, Killing 28-Year-Old Man

Angel Ezpinoza, 28, of Staten Island has been identified as the person who was killed

What to Know

  • A piece of scaffold at an NYC construction site fell 12 stories and killed a 28-year-old worker at the location Thursday afternoon
  • The Department of Buildings says it has issued a full stop-work order, though the general contractor does have a permit for facade repair
  • The victim has been identified as Angel Ezpinoza, of Staten Island

The city's Department of Buildings says it has issued a stop-work order at a Manhattan high-rise construction site where a piece of scaffold came loose Thursday and fell 12 stories, killing a 28-year-old man

Angel Ezpinoza of Staten Island, a construction worker, was hit by the beam in the courtyard of the Morningside Heights site on Riverside Drive early Thursday afternoon. He was pronounced dead at a hospital shortly thereafter. 

The general contractor for the site does have an active permit for facade repair, the Department of Buildings said, but the agency did issue a violation and full stop-work order as it investigates the circumstances surrounding the deadly accident. It also says additional enforcement actions are possible. 

The building, called the International House, is affiliated with Columbia University and houses some graduate and international students.

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