Ceiling collapses on 2-year-old girl at Sack Wern Houses

Members of a Bronx family say a bedroom ceiling collapsed on top of a 2-year-old girl in their NYCHA apartment Thursday. The family says Tempress Rivera was playing with a doll house when the ceiling

News 12 Staff

Dec 2, 2016, 7:56 AM

Updated 2,700 days ago

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Ceiling collapses on 2-year-old girl at Sack Wern Houses
Members of a Bronx family say a bedroom ceiling collapsed on top of a 2-year-old girl in their NYCHA apartment Thursday.
The family says Tempress Rivera was playing with a doll house when the ceiling came crashing down at the Sack Wern Houses. 
Rivera's grandmother, Melody Rivers, says the ceiling started leaking on Wednesday night, but didn't realize it would cause the ceiling to collapse. 
"I'm just really shaken up. I can't stop praying. All I keep thinking about is a ceiling falling on my 2-year-old, it's just devastating," Rivera says. 
The family says that Tempress is fine, but they say the incident could have been prevented. 
Melody Rivera says she has been in a two-year legal battle over the conditions of her apartment, but the issues have never been addressed. 
News 12 spoke with a NYCHA spokesperson who called the collapse "absolutely inexcusable."
"We are deeply sorry for the impact this incident has had on the family and will be sure to monitor the situation going forward," the spokesperson said, adding that NYCHA staff went to the apartment to make repairs.


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