‘Everyone feels as if it's their own sibling’: Lakewood couple among the missing in Florida condo building collapse

A Lakewood couple vacationing in Florida is among the nearly 100 people missing in the collapse at a condominium building in Surfside, Florida, just outside of Miami.

News 12 Staff

Jun 25, 2021, 11:42 AM

Updated 1,041 days ago

Share:

A Lakewood couple vacationing in Florida is among the nearly 100 people missing in the collapse at a condominium building in Surfside, Florida, just outside of Miami.
Neighbors tell News 12 New Jersey that the couple's names are Benny and Malki Weiss, both in their 20s, and that they left for Florida earlier Tuesday. They have not been heard from since the collapse.
Neighbors say they were visiting Malki's father at his condo in the complex. He's also missing.
A short walk away at the neighborhood synagogue, special prayers are being said for the safe return of the couple. Religious leaders say it’s now in God's hands.
The next-door neighbor of the missing couple says they just moved in a few months ago.
“My husband called me up and told me what happened, and my whole block was just shaking, shaking about it,” says Esty Goldberg.
The Surfside, Florida, region is a very popular vacation spot for Orthodox Jews, who often visit friends and family.
“Our community is very close around here,” says Goldberg. “Our houses are close together. It's like a big bungalow. Everyone's together, everybody's going crazy, everyone feels as if it's their own sibling.”
Goldberg says the young couple gave her the key to their apartment to watch over it while they were away. 
“They went for vacation two days ago and they left us their key in order to bring in their mail. We don't know what happened now.”
Religious leaders in Lakewood say it’s a tragedy that affects everyone and that they will pray for all the victims.
“This is a terrible, terrible tragedy that happened,” says neighbor Yeshai. “We don't even know the extent of what's happening. We don't know what's going on. There are many families that are experiencing a lot of stress, pain and loss and we live in a close-knit community over here.”
The cause of the collapse is under investigation.


More from News 12
1:43
Nonprofit wants to bring an independent cinema to the Bronx

Nonprofit wants to bring an independent cinema to the Bronx

1:54
Bronx charter schools have open seats for upcoming school year

Bronx charter schools have open seats for upcoming school year

2:15
Hazy and hot weather arrives Thursday before a weekend cooldown

Hazy and hot weather arrives Thursday before a weekend cooldown

2:04
Grants up for grabs for restaurants hurt by new stove standards

Grants up for grabs for restaurants hurt by new stove standards

1:51
Residents worried that sinkhole problems from years prior may return

Residents worried that sinkhole problems from years prior may return

1:19
Council members making a push for rat birth control

Council members making a push for rat birth control

1:43
NYPD: Multiple suspects wanted for string of gunpoint robberies across the Bronx, Manhattan

NYPD: Multiple suspects wanted for string of gunpoint robberies across the Bronx, Manhattan

1:30
82-unit affordable housing development coming to West Farms

82-unit affordable housing development coming to West Farms

1:51
RFK announces he has enough signatures to appear on NY ballot

RFK announces he has enough signatures to appear on NY ballot

1:41
Bronx man in custody following death of his 79-year-old mother in Concourse Village apartment

Bronx man in custody following death of his 79-year-old mother in Concourse Village apartment

1:47
City officials, drivers weigh in on potential disappearance of parking spots in Mount Hope

City officials, drivers weigh in on potential disappearance of parking spots in Mount Hope

0:34
FBI arrests Brooklyn man in Mount Vernon robbery, homicide

FBI arrests Brooklyn man in Mount Vernon robbery, homicide

2:19
Rent hikes may be coming for tenants in rent-stabilized apartments

Rent hikes may be coming for tenants in rent-stabilized apartments

2:23
Survivors of childhood sexual abuse, community advocates file over 150 lawsuits accusing staff at juvenile facilities

Survivors of childhood sexual abuse, community advocates file over 150 lawsuits accusing staff at juvenile facilities

1:33
NYPD: Man wanted for robbing Mott Haven deli at gunpoint

NYPD: Man wanted for robbing Mott Haven deli at gunpoint

1:57
Pelham Parkway dialysis center closing soon, leaving patients angered

Pelham Parkway dialysis center closing soon, leaving patients angered

2:32
Transportation Alternatives: 2024 was the deadliest start to a year since start of Vision Zero

Transportation Alternatives: 2024 was the deadliest start to a year since start of Vision Zero

1:36
Residents say they feel unsafe after bricks fell from their building

Residents say they feel unsafe after bricks fell from their building

1:28
Multiplex Cinema in Concourse Village set to close; BP Gibson says mall owners mull another theater

Multiplex Cinema in Concourse Village set to close; BP Gibson says mall owners mull another theater

1:13
Police: Wanted suspect linked to overnight shooting of teen in Claremont Park

Police: Wanted suspect linked to overnight shooting of teen in Claremont Park