Derelict South Bronx building collapses

A long-abandoned building in the South Bronx partially collapsed Sunday afternoon.

The rear floors of the three-story building at 702 East 134th Street in Mott Haven came crashing down, the Daily News reported.

“It sounded like an avalanche coming down back there,” a neighbor told the newspaper. “I live directly above it. You could feel the floor shake.”

Emergency responders rushed to the scene around 1 p.m., and despite the damage there were no injuries, authorities said.

Records with the city Department of Buildings show the property’s owner, Joseph Paterra, filed for a permit to demolish the building earlier last year.

The city’s Environmental Control Board issued a violation in May for failing to maintain the building’s walls and noted several large holes in the roof, issuing Pattera a $10,000 fine.

“It’s been vacant at least 15 years, and even that might be generous,” the neighbor told the News. “People have been waiting for that building to fall down for years. It’s not a shock to anybody.”

Officials from the buildings department are investigating the cause of the collapse. [NYDN] – Rich Bockmann