Brooklyn Building Collapse That Killed Eight: Nigerian owner owes $450,000 in fines, taxes, bills

The owner of a Brooklyn building that collapsed and killed eight people in New York City had accumulated more than $450,000 in unpaid fines, taxes and water bills, while investigators are examining whether the property’s poor condition and excavation work on an adjoining site contributed to the tragedy.

The three-storey building at 1321 Flatbush Avenue collapsed on Wednesday, November 11, into a neighbouring construction site at 2625 Bedford Avenue, killing eight people, including two children, and injuring 18 others.

The incident has brought renewed scrutiny to the building’s owner, who is believed to be of Nigerian descent, Olufemi Falade, whose record includes hundreds of housing violations, unpaid bills and a previous jail sentence for failing to carry out repairs on properties he owned.

However, authorities have yet to establish the cause of the collapse or determine who, if anyone, should be held responsible.

According to a report by the New York Post, a review of city records showed that Falade owed about $170,000 in fines imposed by the Department of Buildings in 2019 over improperly displayed signs.

He also reportedly owed $114,945 in unpaid water bills accumulated over several years and $113,526 in property taxes dating back to 2021.

The report further said he owed the Internal Revenue Service $49,269 in unpaid personal federal income taxes, based on a 2010 lien, and another $4,316 in personal income taxes to New York State.

The combined liabilities amount to more than $450,000.

Falade has also appeared six times on the New York City Public Advocate’s annual Worst Landlords Watchlist, according to the report.

His record with housing authorities dates back at least two decades. In 2006, he was sentenced to 12 days in jail and fined $50,000 for civil contempt after failing to address more than 1,800 violations across 12 Brooklyn buildings he owned.

The violations reportedly included vermin infestations, exposed electrical wires and leaking pipes.

The collapsed building itself had 98 open violations with the city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development before the incident. They included a leaking roof, defective doors, bedbug infestations and exposed wiring.

The New York Post reported that records showed roof leaks dating as far back as 1976, with further violations issued up to earlier this year.

Falade reportedly bought the 96-year-old property in 1999 through an entity identified as Femi Realty Corp. In November 2024, he transferred ownership to Isolag Realty Corp, another entity he controls, signing the deed as both seller and buyer, with no money exchanged.

Isolag Realty Corporation is identified as the building’s owner, while Falade is listed as the company’s registered agent. The New York City Public Advocate’s Office also identifies him as the head officer registered with the housing department for the property.

The collapse has also raised questions about construction activities on the adjoining Bedford Avenue site, where a developer had secured approval for excavation and foundation work.

The Department of Buildings is investigating whether the excavation contributed to the collapse. A violation issued by the department initially attributed the incident to unsafe construction operations at the neighbouring site.

The New York Post reported that the city approved excavation plans for the site in March, although the plans allegedly lacked key structural support alongside the building that later collapsed.

Drawings submitted to the Department of Buildings reportedly showed extensive shoring and bracing around much of the construction lot, including its backyard, but did not provide hard reinforcements directly beside the collapsed property.

A pre-construction inspection in March had also reportedly identified visible cracks in the building’s north, west and east facades, as well as in the adjoining pavement.

The city’s buildings commissioner said workers had been excavating at the site in the hours before the collapse, although officials have not confirmed that the work caused the building to fall.

The developer, Robert Fischman, reportedly wrote to the owner of the Flatbush Avenue property in June to notify him that excavation would begin on the adjoining lot.

There are also reports that the city issued a stop-work order to a demolition team at the neighbouring property in March, but the building was subsequently demolished. The circumstances surrounding that order and the demolition remain matters for verification through official Department of Buildings records.

The collapsed building, which dated from 1930, had a commercial space on its ground floor and four apartments. It fell into the excavation site, while a neighbouring building was also damaged, leaving some of its apartments exposed.

About 250 firefighters and emergency medical personnel responded after the collapse shortly after 4pm on Wednesday. The rescue and recovery operation has since ended.

New York City officials have announced an extensive investigation involving government agencies. The city has also expanded inspections to 160 construction sites following the disaster.

Buildings Commissioner Ahmet Tigani said the authorities were undertaking a comprehensive investigation, while Mayor Zohran Mamdani said it was too early to determine whether anyone would face criminal charges.

New York City Councilwoman Farah Louis has also demanded a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding the collapse.

“A building does not simply collapse in the middle of a residential neighbourhood without warning signs or systemic failures,” Louis said.

She called for investigators to examine the structural inspection records, active permits, outstanding violations and the landlord’s maintenance history.

“If negligence or ignored safety complaints contributed to this fatal collapse – where children, pregnant women, and elderly New Yorkers were put in harm’s way – those responsible must be held fully accountable under the law,” she said.

Real estate attorney Massimo D’Angelo, who works with Blank Rome, also called for better coordination between the city’s housing and buildings departments.

“There has to be unity between HPD and DOB files, and particularly for structural oversight violations,” he said.

Commenting on Falade’s previous jail sentence, D’Angelo added: “This guy was rotting in jail for 12 days and it didn’t cure the problem. The city’s remedies are too slow.”

The investigation is expected to examine both the condition of the collapsed building and the safety measures required during excavation at the adjoining property.

The two issues raise separate but related questions about whether housing violations were adequately addressed and whether the construction work was properly designed, supervised and inspected.

No cause has been officially established, and no charges have been announced against Falade, Isolag Realty, the developer or any other person in connection with the collapse.

Falade’s history of housing violations and unpaid liabilities does not, on its own, establish responsibility for the deaths. Investigators are yet to determine whether the building’s condition, the neighbouring excavation or a combination of factors led to the disaster.