street closures

Chunks of Ice Fall From Midtown Buildings, Forcing Street Closures

Video captured giant chunks of ice crashing down onto Midtown streets Sunday afternoon

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What to Know

  • Several Manhattan streets were closed Sunday morning due to falling ice
  • The NYPD said multiple people were injured by falling ice on the Empire State Building observation deck, but building staff have not corroborated the report
  • It wasn't immediately clear when the streets would reopen

The NYPD cordoned off several Manhattan streets Sunday morning due to ice falling from buildings.

Conditions around the tri-state warmed up slightly Sunday after days of subfreezing temperatures, causing ice that have accumulated to melt. Large pieces of ice were spotted spinning down from high rises onto cars and the streets below in Midtown.

No injuries were reported but city officials and police closed off Central Park South between Columbus Circle and Fifth Avenue; Broadway between West 57th and West 59th streets; and Sixth Avenue between West 42nd and West 43rd streets due to the ice threat. The latter closure had been nixed by about 8:30 a.m. Monday, giving people another much-needed access point to Grand Central as the holiday rush got into full swing. All streets had reopened by early Monday afternoon.

The NYPD reported that some people were struck by falling ice on the observation deck of the Empire State Building but building staff said that the observation deck remained open Sunday evening.

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