Residents left homeless by Manhattan garage collapse seek answers

Published

2 years ago

April 28, 2023

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Lower Manhattan garage collapse repairs update

NYC residents still have more questions than answers for people who live near the parking garage in Lower Manhattan. FOX NY’s Ashlie Rodriguez talked to one family who was forced to pack and leave the city.

LOWER MANHATTAN – It’s been nine days since a parking garage collapsed in Lower Manhattan. The city is working to gut the defunct building, but residents who live around the block aren’t seeing any progress and are feeling a lot of pain.

"We still don’t have access to the car," said Adam Cohen, a displaced resident. "And as far as I know, the car is still dangling there as of the other day."

Cohen, his wife and three kids under the age of 14, have no car and no home and no idea when they’ll get one. Their home was next to the parking garage at 57 Ann in Lower Manhattan, that collapsed last Tuesday. So now the family of five is staying with grandpa in Scarsdale.

"This is crashing with the parents," Cohen said, "which you know, as a grown adult it’s not advisable."

The fallout from the parking garage suddenly pancaking is affecting residents who were forced to vacate their apartments while crews clean out the debris. Some of that debris includes cars, including the Cohen’s, who were told by the city it’s a total loss. So everyday they borrow a car, drive back down to the city, drop the kids off at school, go to work and do it again.

"There’s no date or communications or plan about like how long this will be, when we get to go home, when do we get to enjoy all of our stuff as opposed to what you can fit in a bag in the 15 minutes with a cop outside the door," said Cohen. Dozens of NYC parking garages in need of ‘immediate fixing’: report

An inspection of thousands of parking garages across New York City revealed dozens in need of immediate attention, according to a report from the New York Post.

Pace University is settling in for the long haul announcing it’s going to be canceling all the classes in its William Street building for the rest of the semester. It shares a wall with a collapsed parking garage, and it says the loud noise, the vibration, and physical obstruction, it just makes learning too much of a challenge.

"A lot of the studios and the painting drawing classes, they exist in these buildings and acting classes," said Toby Parks, a Pace University student. "It’s a lot of the more hands-on kind of work that is harder to take place over Zoom."

FOX 5 NY reached out the Department of Buildings to get an update on the demolition, but did not hear back in time for this report.

RELATED: Dozens of NYC parking garages in need of ‘immediate attention’

As crews work, displaced residents are bleeding cash but are being told May rent is still due on the first. Those with renters insurance only have less than a week of hotels covered, and the Red Cross, Cohen says, "they’ll only provide you shelter for two days."

"For me, I’m trying to stay positive" Cohen said. "I have friends and family and I know I’m lucky and blessed by that, but I also know that some of my neighbors don’t. There are definitely people that are not doing ok in this situation."

Sports

Rich Rod bans Mountaineers from TikTok dancing

Published

32 mins ago

March 12, 2025

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Rich Rod bans Mountaineers from TikTok dancing

Associated Press

Mar 11, 2025, 04:15 PM ET

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez, like all football coaches, wants his players to show up on time, work hard and play their best.

Oh, and another thing: Don’t dance on TikTok.

“They’re going to be on it, so I’m not banning them from it,” he said Monday. “I’m just banning them from dancing on it. It’s like, look, we try to have a hard edge or whatever, and you’re in there in your tights dancing on TikTok, ain’t quite the image of our program that I want.”

Making TikTok dance videos is a popular activity among high school- and college-age users of the social media platform. Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter, Boise State star Ashton Jeanty and Nebraska’s Dylan Raiola are among college football players who have posted dance videos.

Rodriguez is beginning his second stint as Mountaineers coach. He said he has talked to his players about the tendency in society to emphasize the individual rather than the team and that banning TikTok dancing is something he can do to put the focus where he thinks it belongs.

“I’m allowed to do that. I can have rules,” he said. “Twenty years from now, if they want to be sitting in their pajamas in the basement eating Cheetos and watching TikTok or whatever the hell, they can go at it, smoking cannabis, whatever. Knock yourself out.”

As for now, he said: “I hope our focus can be on winning football games. How about let’s win the football game and not worry about winning the TikTok?”

Sports

Battle, DB star at USC and former Jet, dies at 78

Published

32 mins ago

March 12, 2025

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Battle, DB star at USC and former Jet, dies at 78

Associated Press

Mar 11, 2025, 09:54 PM ET

LOS ANGELES — Mike Battle, an All-American defensive back and a member of USC‘s 1967 national championship team who later played two seasons for the New York Jets, has died. He was 78.

He died of natural causes on March 6 in Nellysford, Virginia, the school said Tuesday.

In 1967, Battle led a USC defense that allowed only 87 points all season. The Trojans were 26-6-1 and won three conference titles during his three-year career. Battle played in the 1967, 1968 and 1969 Rose Bowl games, all won by the Trojans.

Battle was USC’s annual punt return leader in each of his three seasons and still owns the school record for most punts returned in a season. He was the NCAA statistical champion in 1967, when he had 49 returns for 608 yards, a 12.4-yard average. He also holds the school mark for most punts returned, with 99 during his three years.

He was chosen in the 12th round of the 1969 NFL draft by the Jets and played for two seasons in 1969 and 1970.

Battle appeared in the 1970 film “C.C. and Company,” a biker film starring Jets teammate Joe Namath and actor Ann-Margret.

He is survived by his wife Laura and children Christian Michael, Hunter, Frank, Michael, Kathleen, Murphy and Annie.