NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — The corporate owners of a Manhattan building where a woman was fatally struck by a piece of falling debris from the structure’s façade are facing criminal charges.
The New York City Department of Buildings announced Thursday that 729 Acquisition LLC was charged with violating Administrative Code, which requires all parts of a building be maintained in a safe condition.
The organization was also charged for failure to comply with a commissioner’s order to repair the building’s damaged façade.
The charges stem from a December 2019 incident in which 60-year-old Erica Tishman, a prominent architect in New York, was struck by a piece of falling decorative terra cotta façade as she was walking on the sidewalk in front of the building on Seventh Avenue.
The decorative debris hit Tishman in the head, causing her death.
The DOB alleged that the building’s owners were aware “the deteriorating façade conditions posed an immediate danger to the public,” but they still failed to make necessary repairs and neglected to install scaffolding to protect pedestrians.
The DOB added that officials from the department notified the owners of the building about the unsafe conditions and instructed the repairs be made in April 2019.
“Owning a building in our city comes with a straightforward legal responsibility to keep the property in a safe condition, and make repairs when needed,” said Buildings Commissioner Melanie La Rocca.
“Ignoring this responsibility is completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated. Landlords should know that delaying required building maintenance will lead to consequences,” she added.
The deadly incident spurred the New York City Council to pass a law in 2020 that requires the DOB to use drones to conduct façade inspections within 48 hours after a complaint is made to 311.
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