INWOOD — A man was injured after falling about 12 feet when the basement floor of his apartment building collapsed under him on Tuesday night, authorities said.
The victim, in his 40s, was standing on the concrete floor of the basement at 1795 Riverside Drive when a 10-by-10 foot section collapsed around 7 p.m., according to FDNY Deputy Chief Jonas.
The man fell about 12 feet into the cellar below, he said.
The man was conscious when the FDNY pulled him from the building but suffered injuries to his legs, Jonas added. He was taken to Harlem Hospital in stable condition, according to the FDNY.
Jonas said FDNY officials did not see indications of any other structural issues in the building. Department of Buildings inspectors were called to the scene to assess the building.
On Tuesday night, DOB records showed only one open violation for the building related to an elevator. The building was subsequently written a violation for "failure to maintain" with court date set for Dec. 11, the agency said. A partial vacate order was also issued for the cellar space in the building's west section.
Grace Gutierrez, who owns InWood Hair Studio on the first floor of the building, said she didn’t hear or see anything unusual when the floor collapsed.
“I had no idea,” she said. "We were doing a job inside and suddenly we saw all of these fire trucks.”
Gutierrez said she was not aware of any other problems with the building.
Concerned tenants gathered in front of the building Tuesday night to wait for a determination of its structural stability.
“It’s an old building and there are leaks, but nothing structural that I can tell,” said Michelle Smith, who has lived there 11 years.
However, Smith said that she and other tenants will be reaching out to Stellar, the building's management company. Stellar did not immediately return a request for comment.
“This kind of thing is going to spur us to get some answers."
