‘I saw a bright light’: Man rescued from New York building collapse says he’s ‘traumatised’

A man who was rescued from the apartment building that collapsed in Brooklyn on Wednesday has spoken out about the “traumatising” incident. 

At least two people have died and 17 more have been injured after a three-story apartment building at 1321 Flatbush Avenue fell into an open construction site at 2625 Bedford Avenue and collapsed into a pile of rubble, trapping people underneath. 

Four people have been taken to local hospitals in a critical condition. The search for victims is still ongoing, and it’s unknown how many people are trapped right now. 

Credit: Emily Cotler/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock

James Williams was inside his third-floor apartment in the Brooklyn building with his wife when it collapsed at 4pm on Wednesday afternoon. 

“Everybody’s traumatised, we all are,” he told 1010 WINS. “Because one minute we’re all just living our normal lives and the next minute before our eyes this just happened, so suddenly.”

“All of a sudden I just saw a bright light,” he continued. Then, he saw first responders coming to rescue him. 

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Williams continued: “All I know is I was with the wife and then we just heard some rumbling, and then after the rumbling, the next thing you know just open the door and happen to see the outside.”

He said construction was happening before the collapse and added: “When you know that you have buildings occupied year-round where there’s tenants, you’ve got to be careful. Even though you’ve got a job to do but you’ve still got to be careful.” 

“This is catastrophic,” another resident who lives in a neighbouring Flatbush building, Novella Spence, told CBS. “This is the most horrific thing that has ever happened in this neighbourhood. It reminds me of 9/11.”

“Multiple people from the building and the construction site were trapped,” FDNY Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore said. “This will be a prolonged operation. Collapse operations are extremely dangerous. Every move is choreographed and critically important to patient outcomes and member safety. Members have been working methodically and haven’t stopped since they arrived this afternoon.”

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