Brooklyn Building Collapse Criminal Investigation Opens as 8 Victims Named - US News Pulse

Brooklyn's district attorney has opened a criminal investigation into the Flatbush building collapse that killed eight people, including two children, as police named the last victim and the city began inspecting about 100 sites. The inquiry, reported by The New York Times on Friday, November 13, 2026, turns a rescue operation into a question of criminal responsibility.

Key Points

• Brooklyn DA Eric Gonzalez opened a criminal investigation into whether criminal conduct contributed to the collapse, The New York Times reported Friday.
• All eight victims are now identified, including Ndiaye Mamadou, 31.
• Eight died and 18 were injured, including four firefighters, when the building at 1321 Flatbush Avenue fell into an excavation pit on November 11.
• The Department of Buildings first blamed unsafe construction next door, then retracted the finding as premature.
• Mayor Zohran Mamdani ordered inspections at about 100 sites tied to five entities in the project.

What Happened

The three-storey building at 1321 Flatbush Avenue collapsed at about 4 p.m. on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, falling into an open excavation pit at the construction site next door at 2625 Bedford Avenue. The 1930 brick building came down completely. Firefighters reached the scene within a minute, and about 250 firefighters dug through the wreckage. A pregnant woman was pulled from the rubble that afternoon. Two people were confirmed dead by Wednesday night; the toll rose to five on Thursday morning and to eight within the hour. The Fire Department of New York ended rescue operations at 3:37 p.m. on Thursday, about 24 hours after the collapse.

The eight who died are Nicole Daniela Salvada Rodriguez, 9, and Kevin Santiago Reyes Gonzalez, 10, two cousins; Juan Daniel Salvada Guzman, 31; Ndiaye Mamadou, 31; Barry Mamadou, 23; Gabriel Siguencia, 22; Edgar Sapon, 26; and Jose Luis Caguana Cosquillo, 26. The children were Colombian, as was one adult. Siguencia and Caguana were from Ecuador, and Sapon from Guatemala.

Background: The Building and the Site Next Door

The collapsed building was the last in a row of ten nearly identical brick buildings on a busy stretch of Flatbush Avenue. It stood beside a lot where workers were digging for a planned nine-storey building with 64 apartments. The developer held an active permit for excavation, with September 9 permits allowing digging to 14 feet. The general contractor is Townhouse Builders and the engineer is LMW Engineering Group, according to The New York Times.

The neighbouring project had already drawn the attention of city inspectors. The Department of Buildings issued a stop-work order in March after finding demolition work under way without adequate overhead protection. Inspectors found in April that work had resumed in violation of the order; the department lifted it in August after the violations were corrected. A March inspection had also found cracks in the north facade, Mayor Mamdani said. Construction safety expert Glenn Corbett of John Jay College said it is far too early to know the cause. "It could be a design flaw, it could be a construction flaw, or it could be some kind of work that was going on," he said.

Brooklyn Building Collapse Criminal Investigation: What Prosecutors Are Examining

The criminal investigation is the newest turn in the case. In a post on X, District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said his team was working with the Department of Buildings and the police to examine the collapse. "Determine whether any criminal conduct contributed to this tragedy," he wrote. The New York Times reported on Friday that prosecutors are working with the city's Department of Investigation and the Department of Buildings. No charges have been filed. An investigation is not a finding of wrongdoing.

What prosecutors examine now will overlap with the city's own inquiry. The Department of Buildings will look at the permits, the drawings, the inspection record and the physical sequence of the failure. The district attorney's office will ask whether any of that crossed from a violation into criminal conduct, for example work that continued despite a stop-work order. The March stop-work order and its April violation are already on the public record, as is the retracted finding: an early Department of Buildings record blamed unsafe construction at the neighbouring site, but the department said the entry was entered prematurely and was inaccurate.

Reactions and Quotes

Mayor Mamdani, speaking near the site on Thursday, promised a full accounting. "If there is anyone, or any entity, operating in this city that bears responsibility for what happened, we will hold them fully accountable," he said. "These were our friends and our neighbors," he added. Fire Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore called the collapse a "devastating tragedy for New York."

For the families, the wait for news was agonising. Gabriel Siguencia had arrived from Ecuador in March 2025 and started work at the site two weeks before the collapse. His mother, Leanor Yupa, watched the rescue. When she learned her son was among the dead, she dropped to her knees and screamed, according to The New York Times. Carlos Caguana said his brother Jose Luis, who worked at the site, was the family's only earner. "He was the sole provider for the family," he told WNBC-TV.

Why It Matters

A stop-work order is meant to halt dangerous work, and this project had one in March, a violation in April, and a lift in August. If excavation beside a 96-year-old building continued when it should have stopped, or if the shoring was inadequate, investigators must establish who knew what and when, and whether anyone is criminally liable. The case also tests how New York handles construction next to occupied homes. The city's sweep of about 100 other properties tied to the same five entities shows officials are treating this as a wider problem, not a single accident. The retracted finding warns that early blame can be wrong.

What Happens Next

Prosecutors and city inspectors will now work through the rubble, the permits and the inspection record. The Department of Buildings has issued a full stop-work order on the neighbouring site while the investigation continues, and the sweep of about 100 properties tied to the five entities involved is under way. The district attorney's office has not said how long its inquiry will take. The injured remain in hospital, with one person still in critical condition.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is investigating the Brooklyn building collapse?
The Brooklyn District Attorney's office, the Department of Buildings and the police.

Has anyone been charged?
No. No charges have been filed.

Who were the eight people who died?
Nicole Daniela Salvada Rodriguez, 9; Kevin Santiago Reyes Gonzalez, 10; Juan Daniel Salvada Guzman, 31; Ndiaye Mamadou, 31; Barry Mamadou, 23; Gabriel Siguencia, 22; Edgar Sapon, 26; and Jose Luis Caguana Cosquillo, 26.

What caused the building to collapse?
The cause is not yet known. The Department of Buildings first blamed unsafe construction, then retracted that finding.

What happens to the site and the other properties now?
A full stop-work order is in place at the neighbouring site, and the city is inspecting about 100 other properties.

Read more: FDNY Ends Brooklyn Building Collapse Rescue as 8 Dead Are Named. Also on US News Pulse: Brooklyn Collapse Death Toll Rises to 8 as FDNY Search Continues.