UPDATE, Oct. 30 2020, 3:30 p.m.: A wildly-spinning crane during high winds cast debris down on the street Thursday night.
The Department of Buildings and the Fire Department were called to the scene, the New York Post reported. The crane was connected to JDS Development’s luxury condominium at 111 West 57th Street on Billionaire’s Row. No one reported injuries, according to the New York Daily News.
On Oct. 28, ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Zeta, which battered the Gulf Coast, the Department of Buildings urged crane operators to take precautionary measures in an email, including to “suspend crane operations and secure crane equipment when wind speeds reach 30 mph or greater.”
The ordeal recalled a crane collapse in 2012 — on the same day — as a result of Hurricane Sandy. That crane was not tied down, Donald Trump said at the time, who observed the crane moving violently through his window.
In a tweet, the NYPD warned pedestrians to avoid the area of West 57thh Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues, due to an unstable crane and falling debris. At 6 a.m., the NYPD’s Midtown North precinct tweeted that streets around the building remained closed, including Sixth Avenue between 56th and 58th streets, and 57th Street between Sixth and Seventh avenues.
Commentator Keith Olbermann posted footage of the crane to Twitter as the ordeal was unfolding.
NYC “weathervaning” construction crane atop 85-story building at 111 W 57th St near 6th. Two 8-foot long pieces have already fallen to the street. https://t.co/mezryM7Qro
— Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) October 29, 2020
JDS’s ulta-slim skyscraper is one of the tallest buildings in the city, with construction expected to be completed Condominiums in the 1,428-foot tower start at $18 million for a 4,491-square-foot unit in the tower portion of the building. A unit went into contract at the luxury tower for $58 million last year.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story misstated that debris fell onto pedestrians. No injuries have been reported.