Bronx NYCHA Building Partially Collapses After Suspected Boiler Explosion; Investigation Underway
Bronx NYCHA Building Partially Collapses After Suspected Boiler Explosion; Investigation Underway
A 20-story chimney running along the side of a NYCHA building in The Bronx partially collapsed on Wednesday, October 1, 2025, triggering an immediate investigation into a suspected boiler room explosion. The incident, at the Mitchel Houses in Mott Haven, miraculously resulted in no injuries, despite ripping open a corner of the 205 Alexander Ave. structure from top to bottom.
Emergency services, including the FDNY and Department of Buildings (DOB), swiftly responded to the scene. Tenants in the F and G lines of the building were evacuated as officials assessed the structural integrity. FDNY Commissioner Robert Tucker indicated a preliminary examination points to an explosion in the basement boiler room, possibly linked to a gas leak, as the cause. The collapse coincided with the city’s official start of heat season, when residential building boilers are typically activated.
Residents described harrowing moments, with Jahmeik Garris on the 18th floor recalling his girlfriend’s screams and the sound of two consecutive explosions before bricks began falling. He grabbed his 1-year-old daughter, stating he “locked in to survival mode” as they fled. Other eyewitnesses reported smelling gas for weeks prior to the incident and seeing smoke from the boiler area before the massive crack formed.
The incident has intensified scrutiny on NYCHA’s maintenance practices. DOB Commissioner Jimmy Oddo confirmed “work was being done” on the boiler and noted three open, non-safety-related violations, though their connection to the collapse is unconfirmed. Records also show inspectors ordered a halt to plumbing work in June due to an expired license. Mitchel Houses, built in 1966, faces over $635 million in needed repairs within the next five years, including significant upgrades to its steam piping.
Local and federal officials are demanding a thorough investigation. Assemblymember Amanda Septimo expressed alarm over unanswered resident reports of gas leaks, calling it “nothing short of a miracle that no one died.” U.S. Rep. Ritchie Torres, en route from Washington D.C., highlighted the federal government’s obligation to assist, despite the ongoing federal shutdown. He stated, “A building collapse is an emergency. Public housing is ultimately federal housing, it is federally funded and federally regulated and therefore a federal obligation.”
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