A vacant building under construction collapsed Thursday morning in Mount Vernon.
Fire officials say they received a call reporting the incident at 16 North Bond St. around 9:30 a.m.
A release says that workers were “shoring the structure to stabilize it” when the collapse occurred.
Several vehicles were damaged.
Three people were inside working in the back at the time, but none were hurt.
"Lucky for them, they were happening to be taking a break in the rear at the time and they were clear of anything that was collapsing," says Mount Vernon Deputy Fire Chief Rodney Samson.
The city is working with the building department, fire department, police department, office of emergency management, utility providers and other partner agencies in the investigation.
Neighboring buildings were evacuated as a precaution.
A neighbor told News 12 that she was worried this would happen. She says she has brought up concerns before with the city's buildings department.
"I told them that 16 North Bond St. had been leaning on 18 North Bond St. and it looked very unstable," says Coreen Boothe-McCall, who owns the building next door.
The property owner obtained permits in December 2025 from the Mount Vernon Buildings Department for structural work on the building, according to city officials.
"As part of the approved work, workers begun shoring the structure to stabilize it while construction was underway when the collapse occurred," a press release from the City of Mount Vernon stated.
Cleanup around the collapse is scheduled to continue Friday.
"To complete the final phase of debris removal, the Mount Vernon Department of Public Works will conduct cleanup operations tomorrow. To accommodate this work, North Bond Street between Oak Street and Mount Vernon Avenue will be closed from 6:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Motorists are encouraged to seek alternate routes and expect traffic delays in the area," stated the release.
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