It happened again. Just when New Yorkers were starting to feel like the sidewalk was a safe place to stand, the sound of tearing metal and crumbling brick returned to the Bronx. Honestly, the timing is eerie. On Monday, January 12, 2026, a massive section of a building wall at 57 East Burnside Avenue gave way.
By today, January 15, 2026, the dust has literally and figuratively settled, but the anger is just heating up. This wasn't some freak accident caused by a hurricane or an earthquake. It was a demolition job gone wrong—and it happened while a Stop Work Order was supposed to be in place. If you've been following the string of structural failures in the city lately, this feels like a bad case of déjà vu.
The New York City building collapse today: What we know now
The scene at the corner of East Burnside and Walton Avenue is basically a graveyard of construction materials. A wall from a one-story commercial structure—which was part of a larger demolition site—collapsed right onto the sidewalk shed. Debris spilled 15 feet out into the roadway.
You’ve probably seen the videos by now. It looks like a bomb went off. Miraculously, nobody was killed. No injuries at all. According to the New York City Department of Buildings (DOB), the site was undergoing a full demolition. But here is the kicker: the DOB had already told them to stop.
The investigation at 57 East Burnside Avenue
DOB forensic engineers have been crawling all over that site for the last 72 hours. What they found is a laundry list of "how to get shut down" moves. The owners, listed as Burnside Properties NY LLC, apparently had workers on-site doing demolition work despite a pre-existing Stop Work Order issued on January 7.
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Basically, the contractor—Hexagon Industries Inc.—was allegedly working out of sequence and ignoring safety plans. They’ve since been fired by the owners, but the damage is done. The city found several serious violations:
- Failure to maintain supported scaffolding.
- Glass wasn't removed from windows before they started tearing things down.
- Flammable gas was stored improperly (yikes).
- No pre-shift safety meetings for the workers.
It’s the kind of negligence that makes you wonder how many other sites are ticking time bombs.
Why the Bronx keeps seeing these collapses
If you live in Morris Heights or Fordham Heights, you’re probably feeling a bit targeted. This is at least the fourth major structural incident in the Bronx in recent years. Remember the Mitchel Houses explosion back in October 2025? A chimney shaft on a 20-story NYCHA tower just disintegrated after a boiler room blast.
Then there was the Billingsley Terrace collapse in late 2023, where an entire corner of a residential building fell into the street. That was less than a mile from this latest mess on Burnside Avenue. Residents like Sharon Hightower, who spoke to the Bronx Times, are rightfully terrified. She mentioned that for long-time locals, this brings back dark memories of the "Bronx is Burning" era, except now, instead of fires, it’s gravity and neglect doing the work.
The human cost of a "lucky" escape
Janay Davis, a 311 operator who lives two doors down from the Burnside collapse, told reporters she likely slept right through the crash after working an overnight shift. Imagine waking up, walking outside for a coffee, and seeing your block buried in brick and twisted steel.
The DOB has now issued a Partial Vacate Order for the neighboring buildings at 67-69 East Burnside Avenue and the rear of 2065 Morris Avenue. People can’t go into their backyards. Security guards are now pulling 24/7 shifts just to watch the rubble and make sure the rest of the structure doesn't decide to join the pile on the sidewalk.
What happens next for the site
The owners are currently trying to play catch-up. They’ve hired a new contractor to handle the cleanup and repair the sidewalk shed—the very thing that was supposed to protect people but ended up crushed under the wall.
But it’s not as simple as just clearing the bricks. Before any work starts again, the owner’s engineer has to submit a "means and methods" report to the DOB. They have to prove, step-by-step, how they plan to finish the demolition without dropping more of the building on Walton Avenue. Until that’s approved and the site is deemed safe, that Stop Work Order isn't going anywhere.
Actionable steps for NYC residents
If you’re walking around the city and see something that looks "off"—cracked facades, leaning scaffolding, or workers active on a site with a red "Stop Work" sticker—don’t just keep walking.
- Check the Permit: Use the DOB NOW portal or the BIS (Building Information System) website. You can type in any address and see if they have a permit for the work they’re doing.
- Report to 311: If a site looks unsafe or you hear shifting noises from a vacant building, call 311 immediately. They route structural complaints to the DOB’s Emergency Response Team.
- Avoid Sidewalk Sheds Under Stress: If a shed is bowing or covered in heavy piles of old brick that haven't been moved in weeks, take the long way around.
- Document Everything: If you’re a tenant in a building with cracks growing in the walls, take photos with timestamps. Contact the Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) if your landlord ignores structural concerns.
The reality is that NYC has over a million buildings. The inspectors can't be everywhere at once. It’s a bit of a grim "see something, say something" situation, but in a city where buildings are literally falling down while we sleep, it’s the only way to stay ahead of the next headline.