Brooklyn Collapse: Family Stayed Inside for Fear of ICE, Cousin Reveals

Three members of one Colombian family were among the eight killed when a Brooklyn apartment building collapsed on Wednesday, and relatives say the family spent much of its life shut inside, terrified of being stopped on the street by federal immigration agents. The detail, shared by a cousin speaking from Spain, adds a painful human layer to a disaster already under criminal investigation.

The three were Juan Daniel Sabala, 31, his nine-year-old daughter Nicole Daniela Rodriguez, and ten-year-old cousin Kevin Santiago Reyes Gonzales. They were at home in the three-storey building at 1321 Flatbush Avenue when it fell into an open excavation pit beside it shortly after 4 p.m. on Wednesday, November 11; six adults and two children were killed and 18 injured.

Key Points

• Juan Daniel Sabala, 31, daughter Nicole Daniela Rodriguez, 9, and cousin Kevin Santiago Reyes Gonzales, 10, were among the eight killed.
• Cousin Juan Carlos Zabala said the family "often stayed inside", "increasingly terrified of being stopped on the street by federal immigration agents".
• Zabala said the parents lived "from work to home and home to work, because they were afraid of being deported".
• A six-second video from a third-floor flat shows two young brothers moments before the wall gave way; both survived, while their mother remains in hospital.
• Eight died and 18 were injured; the Brooklyn District Attorney has opened a criminal investigation.

What Happened

The 96-year-old three-storey block at 1321 Flatbush Avenue collapsed just after 4 p.m. on Wednesday, November 11, falling into an open excavation pit at the construction site next door. FDNY firefighters, with search dogs and drones, pulled survivors from the rubble through the night. Rescue ended on Thursday afternoon, about 24 hours later, when officials said there were no more victims to find.

The new detail about the Sabala family emerged on Friday, November 13, in the New York Post's account of Juan Carlos Zabala, a cousin speaking from Spain. He told Gothamist that the family "often stayed inside their Brooklyn apartment as much as possible because they were increasingly terrified of being stopped on the street by federal immigration agents", and that the parents were "shut inside" between work shifts.

The family had arrived from Colombia three or four years earlier, and Juan Daniel worked for a cleaning company. They were home on Wednesday for Veterans Day, a public holiday. Zabala's words were blunt: "Everything with ICE was really bothering them. So they stayed shut inside, from work to home and home to work, because they were afraid of being deported."

Background and Context

The collapse is one of New York's deadliest building failures in years, and the questions around it are growing. The building fell into an excavation at the neighbouring site at 2625 Bedford Avenue. City records show the site carried a Class 1 violation for allegedly working during a full stop-work order, and the Department of Buildings is sweeping about 100 other properties tied to the five entities involved.

The New York Times reported on Saturday that the city signed off in March 2026 on a three-storey, eight-unit project, while filings since November 2025 show the developer intended a nine-storey building with 64 apartments, a community space and a grocery store, unapproved by the city. Because the approved project was only three storeys, rules requiring a site safety coordinator for taller projects never applied.

For the families at 1321 Flatbush Avenue, the disaster struck a community of many immigrants. Flatbush is one of Brooklyn's most diverse neighbourhoods, and the collapse has drawn attention to how fear of immigration enforcement shapes daily life, keeping people indoors and less likely to raise concerns about unsafe conditions.

Brooklyn Collapse ICE Fear: A Life Lived Between Work and Home

Zabala's account describes a family that organised its whole life around avoiding attention: parents went to work and came straight home, outings were minimal, and the children stayed inside. It was a life lived between a shift and a front door, shaped by fear that a routine stop could end in detention and deportation.

Immigration advocates say the account will sound familiar to many New York families. Federal enforcement in the city has intensified this year, and community groups say fear of being stopped has kept some immigrants from hospitals, schools and public offices, and from reporting dangerous housing.

Reactions and Quotes

Zabala's words have drawn sympathy and anger from New Yorkers who say no family should have to live in hiding in its own home. The story has renewed debate about whether immigration enforcement makes cities less safe by pushing vulnerable residents out of sight of the services and inspectors who might protect them.

City officials have promised accountability. Mayor Zohran Mamdani has said "we will hold them fully accountable", and Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez has opened a criminal investigation, with his team working with the Department of Buildings and police to "determine whether any criminal conduct contributed to this tragedy". No charges have been filed, and an investigation is not a finding of wrongdoing.

Why It Matters

The Sabala family's story shows how a building disaster and an immigration crackdown can collide in one household. A family afraid to be seen on the street is less likely to complain about a cracked wall, a blocked exit or digging beside their home. When fear keeps people quiet, danger goes unreported, and the cost here was eight lives.

What Happens Next

The criminal investigation is under way and the Department of Buildings sweep continues. The two young brothers who survived are recovering: nine-year-old Pablo from surgery for a severe head injury, and his mother Joanna remains in hospital with serious rib, spine and collarbone injuries. Funerals and fundraisers for victims' families are expected soon.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who were the three family members killed in the collapse?

Juan Daniel Sabala, 31, nine-year-old daughter Nicole Daniela Rodriguez, and ten-year-old cousin Kevin Santiago Reyes Gonzales, of the same Colombian family.

What did their cousin say about ICE?

Zabala told Gothamist the family often stayed inside, terrified of being stopped by federal immigration agents, living "from work to home and home to work, because they were afraid of being deported".

How many people died in the Brooklyn building collapse?

Eight people, six adults and two children, were killed and 18 injured when the building at 1321 Flatbush Avenue collapsed on November 11.

What caused the building to collapse?

The cause is still under investigation. The building fell into an excavation pit at the site next door, which had a stop-work violation; the Brooklyn District Attorney has opened a criminal investigation.

What happens next for the survivors?

The two surviving young brothers are recovering in hospital with their mother, and the Department of Buildings is sweeping about 100 properties tied to the site next door.

The criminal investigation opened on Friday, and the developer's plan for a taller tower than the city approved is now under scrutiny. Read more: Brooklyn Building Collapse Criminal Investigation Opens as 8 Victims Named and Brooklyn Collapse Developer Sought Nine-Storey Tower on Three-Storey Approval. The rescue ended on Thursday after the final victims were recovered: FDNY Ends Brooklyn Building Collapse Rescue as 8 Dead Are Named.