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Building Collapse

Police & Fire
Body Found, Another Possible Following Fierce Multi-Family Home Fire In Ridgefield Body Found, Another Possible Following Fierce Multi-Family Home Fire In Ridgefield
Body Found, Another Possible Following Fierce Multi-Family Home Fire In Ridgefield 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: A former bed and breakfast in Ridgefield had been leveled by fire when responders found the remains of a man wrapped around a support beam. “He must’ve been alive and trying to hold on when the floor above him collapsed,” said a firefighter who was at the predawn blaze at the former Toddle Inn on Broad Avenue on Wednesday, March 6. Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella identified the victim on Friday as 42-year-old Xavier Contreras. An Ecuadoran national, the homeless Contreras sometimes joined the groups of day laborers waiting for passing contractors in nearby Palisades Park, jus…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Major Effort By Firefighters, Emergency Responders Follows Partial Hawthorne Building Collapse Major Effort By Firefighters, Emergency Responders Follows Partial Hawthorne Building Collapse
Major Effort By Firefighters, Emergency Responders Follows Partial Hawthorne Building Collapse Firefighters spent half a day in the cold and rain stabilizing a Hawthorne apartment building where a floor partially collapsed over the weekend. The rear wall and portions of the first floor collapsed into the basement of Building E at the Hawthorne Garden Apartments on Rock Road around 9 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 28, borough Fire Chief Joseph Speranza said. Firefighters and police immediately began evacuating the building and securing the utilities, the chief said. Nine residents and six pets remain temporarily displaced while borough officials determine the next steps. Overall, more than three…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Worker Injured In Partial Hackensack Building Collapse Worker Injured In Partial Hackensack Building Collapse
Worker Injured In Partial Hackensack Building Collapse UPDATE: A worker was seriously injured when an awning that he and others were dismantling in front of an apartment building in Hackensack collapsed on him Friday, authorities confirmed. The 50-something victim was taken to Hackensack University Medical Center with what appeared to be a broken arm, among other injuries, after the structure at the Parkview Apartments on Polifly Road gave way shortly before noon Oct. 27, responders said. Hackensack police, their Emergency Services Unit and city firefighters were joined at the scene by city building, electrical and fire inspectors, OSHA and bo…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
UPDATE: Firefighter Injured In Vacant Garden Apartment Blaze In Hasbrouck Heights UPDATE: Firefighter Injured In Vacant Garden Apartment Blaze In Hasbrouck Heights
Update: Firefighter Injured In Vacant Garden Apartment Blaze In Hasbrouck Heights Two firefighters were injured when part of a ceiling collapsed during a fire that destroyed a vacant garden apartment Thursday morning in Hasbrouck Heights, responders said. The injuries didn't appear life-threatening, they said, after the Skyline Apartments blaze at 20 Terrace Avenue was doused shortly before 10:30 a.m. May 11. Firefighters found the bedroom and bathroom fully involved barely a half-hour earlier. Investigators were summoned to the scene given the circumstances -- however, the cause was determined to be accidental. The mutual aid responders reported to Daily Voice as of t…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Philadelphia Worker ID'd As Victim Killed In Sea Isle City Balcony Collapse Philadelphia Worker ID'd As Victim Killed In Sea Isle City Balcony Collapse
Philadelphia Worker ID'd As Victim Killed In Sea Isle City Balcony Collapse A 43-year-old construction worker from Philadelphia has been identified as the victim crushed to death by a balcony that collapsed at a Sea Isle City high-rise Friday, Feb. 24, authorities said. Jose Pereira was on the 7th floor balcony of the Spinnaker South Tower when the balcony above him collapsed, crushing him around 2:20 p.m., Sea Isle City Police Chief Anthony J. Garreffi Jr. said. Pereira's body was pinned under the 30-foot concrete slab for several hours before responders could cut through approximately 12 inches of reinforced concrete, Garreffi said. The side of the building was …

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Worker Feared Dead In Sea Isle City Balcony Collapse: Reports Worker Feared Dead In Sea Isle City Balcony Collapse: Reports
Worker Feared Dead In Sea Isle City Balcony Collapse: Reports UPDATE: Philadelphia Worker ID'd As Victim Killed In Sea Isle City Balcony Collapse A 43-year-old construction worker from Philadelphia has been identified as the victim crushed to death by a balcony that collapsed at a Sea Isle City high-rise Friday, Feb. 24, authorities said. The victim's body was pinned under the 30-foot concrete slab for several hours before responders could cut through approximately 12 inches of reinforced concrete, police said. The side of the building was deemed unsafe and authorities began evacuating residents. Click here for the updated story.

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Streets Closed As Crews Battle 2-Alarm Fire At Morris County Veterans Association (PHOTOS) Streets Closed As Crews Battle 2-Alarm Fire At Morris County Veterans Association (PHOTOS)
Streets Closed As Crews Battle 2-Alarm Fire At Morris County Veterans Association (Photos) Streets were closed as fire crews were battling a two-alarm blaze at a veterans association in Morris County, authorities said. The blaze broke out at 210 Espanong Rd. in Lake Hopatcong shortly before 10:50 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 26, according to the Sparta Township Fire Department. The address appears on Google as the location of the American Legion U.S. veterans association. Additional crews were called to the scene following a partial building collapse, initial reports said. Meanwhile, Espanong Road was closed from Edison Road to Noland Point, police said. Scroll down to view additiona…

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by Valerie Musson
Police & Fire
Philadelphia Firefighter Killed In Building Collapse ID'd As Sean Williamson, 51 Philadelphia Firefighter Killed In Building Collapse ID'd As Sean Williamson, 51
Philadelphia Firefighter Killed In Building Collapse ID'd As Sean Williamson, 51 A longtime Philadelphia firefighter killed in a building collapse Saturday, June 18 has been identified as Sean Williamson. A 27-year department veteran, 51-year-old Williamson was crushed by rubble at 300 W, Indiana Ave., which went up in flames around 2 a.m., fire officials said. Around 90 minutes later, it collapsed. Four other firefighters and a Licensing and Inspections Department inspector were pulled from the rubble and treated at Temple University Hospital, officials said. Update: PFD continued work to rescue 2 trapped members from the collapse at 300 W. Indiana St. 1 member wa…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
Fire Destroys Apartments, Businesses, Closes Route 46 In Clifton Fire Destroys Apartments, Businesses, Closes Route 46 In Clifton
Fire Destroys Apartments, Businesses, Closes Route 46 In Clifton A multiple-alarm fire raged in Clifton on Wednesday, destroying apartments and businesses, closing Route 46 in both directions and sending up plumes of smoke that could be seen for miles. A massive contingent of area firefighters converged on the mixed-use Piaget Avenue building after the blaze broke out in a second-floor apartment and then spread to the cockloft. No serious injuries were immediately reported, nor was the cause of the fire immediately known. Near the scene in Clifton.Dawn Fantasia (FACEBOOK) The building houses two restaurants -- Aurora Ristorante and Zen Sushi -- two …

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
GOOD RIDDANCE: Abandoned Building Collapses In Lodi, Decades-Long Eyesore Reduced To Rubble GOOD RIDDANCE: Abandoned Building Collapses In Lodi, Decades-Long Eyesore Reduced To Rubble
Good Riddance: Abandoned Building Collapses In Lodi, Decades-Long Eyesore Reduced To Rubble The saga of a long-abandoned eyesore that contaminated area groundwater and marred the look of one of Lodi's main thoroughfares finally came to an end Tuesday after the building partially collapsed into the street. Heavy machinery was used to take down the rest of the Garibaldi Avenue site after the partial late-morning collapse across from the Cynthia Gardens apartment complex. No serious injuries or major damage to other property was reported. The road, however, remained closed indefinitely between Mill and Short streets. The building at 199 Garibaldi Avenue was once owned by Gibraltar …

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Huge Chunk Of Façade Falls From Hackensack Nursing Home Huge Chunk Of Façade Falls From Hackensack Nursing Home
Huge Chunk Of Façade Falls From Hackensack Nursing Home UPDATE: An exterior wall collapse forced the relocation of dozens of residents within a Hackensack nursing home and rehabilitation center. No injuries were reported after a large portion of the façade fell from the Regent Care Center on Polifly Road near Essex Street around 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 13, responders said. It appeared the damage was cosmetic and not structural, they said, but that would have to be determined by a city engineer. The more than 60 residents in the affected area were moved to a different wing of the facility. City police, firefighters and building officials w…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Bricks Fall From Ridgewood Building Bricks Fall From Ridgewood Building
Bricks Fall From Ridgewood Building No one was hurt when several bricks fell from the facade of a Ridgewood building. The bricks on the three-story building on East Ridgewood Avenue that houses a ground-level Citibank branch with apartments above gave way shortly after 4 p.m. Sunday, March 6. Ridgewood police, firefighters and emergency services workers responded, along with village Building Department Director Anthony Merlino. Members of the Emergency Services Division created a sidewalk detour with cones for temporary pedestrian traffic.  Boyd A. Loving took the photos and contributed to this story. East Ridgewood Av…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Woman Jumps From Burning Newark Building Before Collapse Woman Jumps From Burning Newark Building Before Collapse
Woman Jumps From Burning Newark Building Before Collapse A woman leapt from the second floor of a burning building in Newark just before the structure collapsed Friday, authorities said. The woman was the only person in the structure at 767 South Orange Ave., when the two-alarm blaze broke out around 4:40 p.m., Newark Public Safety Director Brian A. O’Hara said. The building then fully collapsed due to the fire. “Our firefighters thoroughly sifted through debris resulting from the building collapse to ensure that no other victims remained inside,” O’Hara said. The injured woman was transported to University Hospital for treatment and …

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by Cecilia Levine
Weather
Tornados Wreak Havoc In Greater Philly, South Jersey Tornados Wreak Havoc In Greater Philly, South Jersey
Tornados Wreak Havoc In Greater Philly, South Jersey Tornados touched down in Bucks and Mercer counties Thursday evening, downing trees, collapsing buildings and leaving thousands without power. One tornado was confirmed by the National Weather Service in Mercerville-Hamilton Square near Trenton at 6:34 p.m. Another was in Solebury and the second in Bensalem near the Neshaminy Mall just after 7 p.m.  ** Have photos? Email clevine@dailyvoice.com ** A partial collapse was reported at the Faulkner Buick GMC Trevose, where a mass casualty was declared. Severe damage in Bensalem after tornado touches down @NBCPhiladelphia @deannadurante @Stev…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Community Mourns Loss Of Retired NJ, PA Couple Killed In Surfside Building Collapse Community Mourns Loss Of Retired NJ, PA Couple Killed In Surfside Building Collapse
Community Mourns Loss Of Retired NJ, PA Couple Killed In Surfside Building Collapse A couple with ties to the Philadelphia area and the Jersey Shore were among the dozens of victims killed in the Surfside, Florida building collapse. David and Bonnie Epstein were on the 9th floor of the Champlain Towers South with their dog, Chase, loved ones say. They previously lived in Bucks County, PA and Brooklyn, NY, and spent summers in Ventnor, NJ, according to 6abc. David and Bonnie had one child, 26-year-old Jonathan, their pride and joy, according to David's business partner, Richard Oller. Jonathan penned a heartfelt tribute to his parents on Facebook. Heartbroken to shar…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
NJ Dad, Daughter, Son In-Law Among Nearly 100 Missing In Miami's Champlain Towers Collapse NJ Dad, Daughter, Son In-Law Among Nearly 100 Missing In Miami's Champlain Towers Collapse
NJ Dad, Daughter, Son In-Law Among Nearly 100 Missing In Miami's Champlain Towers Collapse A New Jersey couple was among nearly 100 people missing Friday, the day after a 12-story building collapsed in Miami. Harry Rosenberg, his daughter Malky Weisz and husband, Benny, were still unaccounted for, Jewish Breaking News reports. The young married couple from Lakewood was on vacation and had left a neighbor with a key to bring in their mail while they were away, NBC reports. “This is a rescue operation not recovery," U.S. Congressman Christopher H. Smith (R-NJ) said. "People have survived for days under rubble. “I have spoken to Harry, Benny and Malky’s friend Eli…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
Snow Collapses Paramus Home (VIDEO) Snow Collapses Paramus Home (VIDEO)
Snow Collapses Paramus Home (Video) The weight of the early-week snowstorm collapsed a Paramus house that was being built, authorities said. The framed-out Arbor Road structure "has been under construction and confirmed vacant," Police Chief Kenneth Ehrenberg said Wednesday. Police and firefighters immediately responded to the collapse shortly before 10 p.m. Tuesday, the chief said. PSE&G and the borough building department were also notified, he said. No injuries were reported. Boyd A. Loving shot the video and contributed to this account. ****** ALSO SEE: Police tried in vain to rescue a Little Ferry driver who was…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
22 Cats Rescued In Hawthorne Fire 22 Cats Rescued In Hawthorne Fire
22 Cats Rescued In Hawthorne Fire VIDEO: Firefighters rescued 22 cats in a Hawthorne house blaze on Wednesday. The two-alarm fire broke out on the top floor of the three-family home on Westervelt Avenue shortly after 12:30 p.m., officials said. A deck gun helped knocked down the fire, which was placed under control about an hour after it began then spent another two hours dousing hot spots. No major injuries were reported aside from cat bites sustained by two firefighters and a borough police officer. The cause wasn't immediately determined. An investigation was continuing. Mutual aid responders included firefighters fr…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
GARAGE COLLAPSE (PHOTOS): Two Injured, One Seriously In Elmwood Park GARAGE COLLAPSE (PHOTOS): Two Injured, One Seriously In Elmwood Park
Garage Collapse (Photos): Two Injured, One Seriously In Elmwood Park Two workers were injured, one seriously, when the roof of five connected garages under construction at an Elmwood Park housing complex collapsed Saturday, authorities said. Elkin Carcano, 30, of Trenton was taken to St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center in Paterson in serious condition following the late-morning collapse at the Elmwood Village Apartments on Mola Boulevard, Police Chief Michael Foligno said. Co-worker Luis Martinez, 24, no address immediately available, was also taken to St. Joe's with less serious injuries, Foligno said. Borough police, firefighters and Little Falls Ambula…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Massive Fire Consumes South Jersey Strip Mall Massive Fire Consumes South Jersey Strip Mall
Massive Fire Consumes South Jersey Strip Mall Firefighters battled a massive blaze Friday that consumed a strip mall in Cherry Hill. There was no immediate word on what might have caused the blaze, which broke out at a business in the shopping center and sent flames into the air shortly before 11 a.m. Several ladder trucks were in operation after the roof of the structure collapsed, followed soon after by huge portions of the facade. Firefighters continued battling the blaze well past noon. No injuries were reported. At the scene of the fire in Cherry Hill.FOX29 LIVE COVERAGE: Strip mall fire in Cherry HillFOX10 News

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
UPDATE: No Apparent Victims In East Orange Building Collapse, City Officials Say UPDATE: No Apparent Victims In East Orange Building Collapse, City Officials Say
Update: No Apparent Victims In East Orange Building Collapse, City Officials Say Preliminary searches of a vacant, boarded-up East Orange building that collapsed Saturday found no victims, city officials said. Two Paterson firefighters and a K-9 went in once it was deemed safe to search three hours after the middle of the five-story building near the corner of Williams Street and Arlington Avenue gave way around 5 p.m. The building had been under construction and there was no reason to believe anyone was inside, city officials said. Responders included members of the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI), which includes firefighters from Hackensack, Paterson, North Hu…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Roof Collapses At Special Needs School In Jersey City Roof Collapses At Special Needs School In Jersey City
Roof Collapses At Special Needs School In Jersey City A school for disabled students in Jersey City is closed after a roof collapsed, the president of the board of education said in a statement Thursday.  Sudhan Thomas said district officials notified the board early Thursday about the collapse of the portico roof at A. Harry Moore School.  "The school is closed today and will remain closed until a civil engineering firm inspects and confirms the structural stability of the building, The safety and security of the students attending the AHM program is the utmost priority" for the board, he wrote.  Sudhan added that the board wi…

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by Paul Milo
Police & Fire
Clifton Buildings Evacuated After Partial Collapse At Former Longtime Tavern Clifton Buildings Evacuated After Partial Collapse At Former Longtime Tavern
Clifton Buildings Evacuated After Partial Collapse At Former Longtime Tavern A wall buckled Monday in a Clifton building that until last summer had been a tavern for 72 years -- raising concerns that a complete collapse could follow. No injuries were reported after the 40-foot load-bearing wall buckled on the left side of the Dayton Avenue building that once housed Rossi's Tavern shortly before noon, responders told Daily Voice. The gutted building was being completely renovated. Although it didn't collapse, surrounding buildings in the Botany Village section were temporarily evacuated as a precaution. City firefighters, police and the DPW and Building Department …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Residents Evacuated When Elizabeth Building Begins To Collapse Residents Evacuated When Elizabeth Building Begins To Collapse
Residents Evacuated When Elizabeth Building Begins To Collapse Firefighters in Elizabeth were called into action when a building in the city started to collapse Wednesday, the department said in a statement.  A vacant lot next door to 245 Union St. was being excavated when one side of the three-story, multi-family building began to crumble. A large crack formed on the side nearest the lot and pieces of the structure began to slide off,. according to photos from the scene.  Deputy 3, Battalion 3 and Battalion 5, as well as Elizabeth police, helped evacuate the building and to establish a collapse zone.  There were no reported injuries.&n…

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by Paul Milo
Police & Fire
Lyndhurst Building In Danger Of Collapse After Pickup Slams Into Storefront Lyndhurst Building In Danger Of Collapse After Pickup Slams Into Storefront
Lyndhurst Building In Danger Of Collapse After Pickup Slams Into Storefront A Lyndhurst building was deemed in danger of collapse after a pickup truck slammed into a storefront Saturday night. "We're concerned about a possible collapse," Police Chief James O'Connor told Daily Voice.  "The building was evacuated of all tenants, all utilities have been cut and the road has been closed until a structural engineer can inspect it," the chief said. The 43-year-old Lyndhurst driver told police he looked down at a piece of paper for a moment as he headed south on Stuyvesant Avenue around 9:40 p.m., O'Connor said. The pickup crossed over, mounted the c…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
No One Injured When Part Of Park Ridge Ceiling Collapses No One Injured When Part Of Park Ridge Ceiling Collapses
No One Injured When Part Of Park Ridge Ceiling Collapses PARK RIDGE, N.J. — (UPDATE) The driver of a FedEx truck got out OK after a rear ceiling of the Hertz Building in Park Ridge collapsed Tuesday night, responders said. The 75-by-75-foot section toppled above a rear loading dock at the Brae Boulevard building after a frozen water pipe burst around 6 p.m., they said. No injuries were reported, and damage apparently was limited to the truck. Borough police and firefighters responded, along with the Hackensack Fire Department, while an ambulance as put on standby but wasn't required, responders said. The sprinkler system was shut down and the bu…

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by Jerry DeMarco