Contractor suspended after partial building collapse; history of violations
According to the Department of Buildings, demolition work was still actively underway at the time of the collapse, despite there being a stop-work order issued on Jan 7.
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The city's Department of Buildings is taking action after a partial collapse at 60 E. Burnside Ave.
According to the Department of Buildings, demolition work was still actively underway at the time of the collapse, despite there being a stop-work order issued on Jan 7.
On Thursday, Ahmed Tigani, the commissioner for the Department of Buildings announced the DOB, would be suspending the registration of the site's general contractor, Yakov Eisenbach of Hexagon Industries Inc.
The suspension follows an investigation that found a pattern of similar, troubling incidents at demolition sites operated by Eisenbach across the five boroughs, including in the Bronx and Brooklyn.
Officials say that even before the Jan. 12 collapse, Eisenbach was already under investigation for unsafe demolition practices at multiple other locations. They say incident marks the seventh time he's been cited for violating an active stop of work order at a construction or demolition site.
"This is not an action we take lightly. We believe in supporting our construction industry and the sector," said commissioner Tigani.
"When people time and time again demonstrate to us that they cannot follow the most basic rules to keep their workers safe, to keep the public safe, to create in a manner that gives to the public trust that we shall allow development, then they should not be working in our New York City," he said.
The Department of Buildings provided this list of some previous incidents at sites where Mr. Eisenbach was the general contractor:
Jan. 7, 2026 – At 30-01 Northern Blvd. in Queens, an excavator was being used to demolish a building without DOB’s approval and overhead protection equipment around the site was not installed, contrary to the approved plans.
Sept. 29, 2025 –
At 986 Dahill Road in Brooklyn, where demolition work was underway, work to remove elements of the building was performed out of sequence and required safeguards to protect workers and the public had not been implemented, causing the remaining structure to become dangerously unstable and damaging the neighboring building.
Sept. 17, 2025 – At 89-01165th St. in Queens, eight adjoining single-story commercial buildings were demolished without permits.
Aug, 13, 2025 – At 1672 86th St. in Brooklyn, an excavator was being used to demolish a building without DOB’s approval and overhead protection equipment around the site was not installed, contrary to approved plans, causing a chimney at the site to become unstable, necessitating the evacuation of a neighboring building.
Dec. 23, 2024 – At 121 Mount Hope Place in the Bronx, while demolition operations were underway, debris fell from the site, pushing over the jobsite fence, which struck the neighboring building.
Department attorneys have now filed a case with the office of administrative trials and hearings seeking to fully revoke his ability to obtain construction permits anywhere in New York. The first time the department has sought the revocation and registration of a general contractor, according to Commissioner Tigani.
