November 13, 2026 BROOKLYN, NY In an aggressive escalation following Wednesday’s catastrophic building collapse in Brooklyn that claimed eight lives—including two children—Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced Thursday that New York City is launching immediate safety sweeps at roughly 100 construction sites tied to entities connected to the disaster.

Speaking at an afternoon press conference as torrential downpours battered rescue crews at 1321 Flatbush Avenue, Mamdani confirmed that the Department of Buildings (DOB) identified five firms associated with the adjacent construction project at 2625 Bedford Avenue and is deploying inspectors across all of their active citywide properties.

Contractor Violations and Excavation Scrutiny Under Investigation

The investigation—jointly led by the DOB, law enforcement, and the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office—is examining both the collapsed three-story apartment building and the neighboring construction site at 2625 Bedford Avenue.

While officials have not yet determined the official cause of the collapse, DOB records and post-incident complaints have raised urgent red flags regarding construction practices next door:

• Prior Stop-Work Violations: DOB records show demolition contractor N Tech Design of America was hit with a $2,500 penalty in March for beginning demolition without required overhead protections for neighboring properties, followed by a $10,000 penalty in April for violating an active stop-work order. Both infractions were marked resolved prior to Wednesday.

• Excavation Concerns: A post-collapse complaint filed with the DOB alleged that a subcontractor may have excavated too large a section alongside the neighboring apartment building's foundation at once, potentially destabilizing the structure.

• Special Inspection Status: Buildings Commissioner Ahmed Tigani clarified that the special inspection agency overseeing the site holds a valid license through 2029, attributing confusion over its status to outdated entries in the city's older Building Information System portal rather than DOB NOW.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani vowed full accountability:

“Our Department of Buildings is commencing sweeps of those sites today... If there is anyone or any entity operating in this city that bears responsibility for what happened, we will hold them fully accountable.”

Grim Toll: Two Children and Two Workers Among Eight Dead

As roughly 250 firefighters and emergency medical personnel continued digging through soaked rubble on Thursday, officials updated the casualty count and confirmed that rescue operations remain active despite worsening weather.

Mayor Mamdani—who visited hospitalized survivors earlier Thursday—praised construction workers from the neighboring site who narrowly escaped the collapse themselves before rushing back into the wreckage to pull trapped neighbors to safety.

Search and Rescue Continues Amid Pouring Rain

FDNY Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore emphasized that first responders—who arrived on scene less than one minute after the initial 911 call—are still actively searching for survivors rather than transitioning to a recovery mission.

FDNY Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore stated:

“To be clear, we have not shifted from rescue to recovery. We are still in the search and rescue phase.”

Heavy equipment is being used cautiously to lift massive slabs of masonry as DOB engineers monitor the structural stability of the exposed excavation pit. Meanwhile, displaced residents from neighboring Flatbush Avenue properties are receiving emergency shelter, social services, and mental health support at the Flatbush YMCA.

Mayor Mamdani concluded:

“This has been a very dark evening and morning for our city. We are mourning too many people who we loved, and as we grieve and as we rebuild, we will do so together as one city.”

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