Partial Collapse Threatens Manhattan Skyscraper, Israeli Consulate Evacuated

Rescue teams and engineers are working to stabilize a skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan after a support column on the 21st floor began bending, causing a partial collapse of several floors. Due to the danger, multiple nearby buildings, including the Israeli consulate, a hotel, and an elementary school, were evacuated. A wide area around Second Avenue and between 40th and 45th Streets has been closed to pedestrian and vehicle traffic.

The incident occurred at 235 East 42nd Street, a former Pfizer headquarters currently being converted into residential units. Firefighters reported that around 8:00 a.m., construction workers noticed internal cracks and bending columns on the 21st and 22nd floors and evacuated the site without injuries. New York City Mayor Zohar Mendani stated at a press conference that the building is "unstable," with further movement detected in one of the columns since city teams arrived. The partial collapse affects floors 21 through 26 of the 37-story building.

Ahmed Tigani, commissioner of the city's Department of Buildings, emphasized the severity of the situation and noted that authorities are using sensitive equipment to monitor the building's movements. Structural engineers will begin reinforcing the building with emergency beams as soon as it is safe to do so. Fire Chief John Esposito assessed that any further failure would be localized and does not anticipate a total collapse of the structure.