March 15, 2008

E51st Street Crane Tragedy-Appalling Information

The Illegal permit:

"The 43-story building did not conform to zoning requirements for the mostly low-rise block in Turtle Bay," ex-commissioner Patricia J. Lancaster said. She blamed the error on the unnamed plan examiner. The Department spokeswoman Kate Lindquist said the error was discovered before the March 15 crane collapse.

WHY WAS WORK ALLOWED TO CONTINUE? WHY WAS IT GRANTED IN THE FIRST PLACE?

DOB Inspector Edward Marquette:

"Crane does not appear to be braced to the building," reads the report of retired contractor Bruce Silberblatt's complaint.

"Only tie backs on 5 or 6 floor but upper part which is 100 feet up is unsecured." The department sent an inspector to the site later that day, records show. Two days later, the agency ruled that no violations were warranted. "Crane is erected according to approved" code, reads a note on the Buildings Department Web site. The inspector listed on the paperwork is Edward Marquette .

Reached by The News at his Manhattan home, Marquette denied inspecting the crane that day, saying he had been to the site only once, earlier in the project. He indicated on a Department of Buildings Hoist and Rigging Inspectors Route Sheet that he had inspected the crane when in fact he had not, according to the indictment.

ARTICLES CITED: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2008/07/03/2008-07-03_crane_inspector_pleads_not_guilty.html

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2008/03/16/2008-03-16_contractor_warned_city_about_crane_but_w.html

DOB CHIEF INSPECTOR JAMES DELAYO:

Thanks to investigations into the DOB fueled from Edward Marquette's example, James Delayo was charged for taking thousands of dollars in bribes to falsify inspection reports and overlook unqualified operators. He took bribes for falsely reporting he had inspected cranes and admitted to selling copies of the licensing exam to help potential inspectors cheat on the exams. He was promoted to acting chief of the Cranes and Derricks Unit in March, after the first crane collapse. All of Delayo's bribes were paid by the owner or employees of a single crane company, Department of Inspections spokesperson Dianne Struzzi said. Struzzi declined to name the company, but sources close to the investigation confirmed that the outfit is Nu-Way Crane Co. of CopiagueCopiague, L.I. The company is owned by Michael Sackaris, who was a member of the Buildings Department's Cranes and Derricks Advisory Board, which helps guide agency policies.

ARTICLE CITED: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2008/06/06/2008-0606_new_york_city_crane_inspector_charged_wi.html

Thefts from evacuated apartments:

$90,000 in jewelry, electronic equipment, cash and other items has been reported stolen from three apartments in two buildings near the accident site, the police said. Only the offices of OEM, NYPD and NYFD were allowed into these apartments. Doesn't the Office of Emergency Management, manage the emergency? How could they allow this to happen on their watch??

ARTICLE CITED: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/27/nyregion/27loot.html?scp=1&sq=51st%20st%20crane%20accident%20looting%20&st=cse