An explosion rocked a Bronx high-rise Wednesday morning, causing the entire side of the 20-story building to collapse.
The FDNY said it responded to reports of a possible gas explosion and that it appears the building’s incinerator shaft may have collapsed.
Videos show extensive damage all along Alexander Avenue in the Mott Haven section of the borough. At this point, no injuries have been reported.
A portion of the Mitchel Houses in the Bronx is damaged after what the FDNY called a possible gas explosion on Oct. 1, 2025.
Citizen.com
The explosion was reported around 8:10 a.m. Wednesday at the Mitchel Houses, located at 205 Alexander Ave. near East 135th Street.
The 11-building complex encompasses two city blocks and was completed in 1966. According to the most recent NYCHA data, it houses approximately 3,500 residents in 1,730 units across 10 residential buildings. It also includes one non-residential building.
The incinerator shaft of a Bronx building collapsed after a gas explosion on Oct. 1, 2025.
CBS News New York
The blast sent bricks, air conditioning units and other debris raining down onto nearby buildings and the sidewalk and street below. Water also appeared to be bubbling up from the ground, possibly from a damaged pipe.
Firefighters could be seen digging through the rubble and using drones and dogs to make sure no one was trapped underneath.
At this point, it’s unclear if the building has been evacuated, and there’s been no word on its structural stability. Con Edison and several other agencies are responding to the scene.
Nearby streets are closed, and drivers are facing heavy delays around the area.
Check back soon for updates on this developing story.
Renee Anderson is a digital producer at CBS New York, where she covers breaking news and other local stories. Before joining the team in 2016, Renee worked at WMUR-TV.
NEW YORK — The 2024 Paris Olympics start Friday, and New York City triple jumper Salif Mane is ready to show the world just how far he can fly.
CBS New York had the chance to speak with the Fairleigh Dickinson University star after he qualified for the Olympic games earlier this month in Eugene, Oregon. He took home the gold by a whopping 2 feet over the second place finisher.
“An Olympian is something that’s stuck to your name for life, and that’s history right there,” Mane told Otis Livingston. “So being able to say that I’m an Olympian, it’s wonderful.”
Mane is the most decorated athlete in the history of FDU and a seven-time All American. He graduated this summer with a degree in civil engineering.
Determined to make his No. 1 fan proud
Mane’s family roots are in Senegal and his last name means “royalty” in Senegalese. He lost his father to COVID in 2020, but his dad continues to be an inspiration.
“Every day, I just think about him, listen to voice notes that he used to send me, saying, ‘Good luck, I’m going to pray for you, go out there and do well.’ Those just give me the motivation that I need to go out there and compete,” said Mane.
Livingston asked what his father would think now.
“He would be proud of me. He was my number one supporter,” Mane replied. “Every time I won a meet, he was the first person I gave my medals to. It’s bittersweet knowing that someone you really love isn’t here to see you succeed like this, but that gives you the push and the drive to just keep going.”
The Bronx native also had the chance to throw the first pitch at Yankee Stadium on July 4.
“I hope I can be a motivation to other athletes to show that you can make your dreams happen, just be patient and stick to your grind, and your goal will definitely be out there for you,” he said.
NEW YORK — Police say one man was killed and three were injured when gunmen on scooters opened fire in the Bronx on Tuesday.
It happened around 6:15 p.m. in the Mount Eden section.
4 shot in the Bronx; 1 dead, 3 hurt
Police say four men between the ages of 23 and 37 were standing on the corner of Townsend and East Mount Eden avenues when four individuals on two scooters approached them, driving eastbound on Mount Eden Avenue.
According to police, the two rear passengers pulled out firearms and fired about 10 rounds at the men standing on the corner.
Three victims were shot in the leg and one victim, 29-year-old Miguel Doleo, was shot in the chest and the leg. Doleo was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Police say the suspects fled on the scooters, traveling northbound on Townsend towards the Cross Bronx Expressway. All four suspects wore masks and hoodies.
The investigation is ongoing. Police say the motive is unclear at this time.
Anyone with any information is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). You can also submit a tip via their website or via DM on Twitter, @NYPDTips. All calls are kept confidential.
NYPD combatting crimes involving scooters
Deputy Commissioner of Operations Kaz Daughtry said this month, police have been working with the Community Response Team in the Mount Eden section of the Bronx to aggressively go after individuals on scooters.
“There is a direct relation to people riding around on illegal scooters and committing crimes, and it’s a careful balance for us because there are people legitimately riding around on scooters, working, you know, Uber Eats and different things like that, so it’s a careful selection for us, but we do see both, and it’s hard to differentiate at first, but we do see both,” Assistant Chief Benjamin Gurley said.
Daughtry says so far this year, police have made 1,300 arrests involving individuals on scooters and issued 989 summonses to people on scooters.
According to the NYPD, 9,500 illegal scooters, dirt bikes and ATVs have been taken off city streets so far this year, including 2,500 in the Bronx alone.
“We have to give our officers a lot of credit. It takes a skill to apprehend these individuals on scooters. We don’t want our cops chasing them throughout streets because we don’t want to put the public in jeopardy, so we use other things like technology … We have our air support that will follow them, wait ’til they dismount their scooter and they will move in for the apprehension,” Daughtry said. “It’s a skill to go after these scooters, but we don’t want to see cops aggressively chasing them down, you know, Grand Concourse because is it really worth it? So there’s a technique that we have that we use and that we’re getting really good at.”
Daughtry says after Tuesday’s shooting, the department will be bringing the Community Response Team back into the neighborhood, specifically to go after illegal scooters, dirt bikes and ATVs.
“We can’t arrest our way out of this problem … In this game of public safety, there’s other individuals involved in this game of public safety. We’re just the first person in the public safety game that the criminal comes in contact with. Can the Community Response Team, is that the answer to everything? Absolutely not, 100 percent no. There’s other stakeholders in this game of public safety,” Daughtry said.
“I think when you hold the recidivists accountable, that’s where we get the bang for our buck. We have examples of that, and we’re working with our partners in the DA’s office to do that,” Gurley said.
Police said Tuesday that in the past 28 days, 36 gun arrests have been made in the 44th and 46th NYPD precincts, which cover the southwestern and western parts of the Bronx, and 18 guns were taken of the street in those precincts between April 1-9 alone.
NEW YORK — One person was killed and five others were injured in shooting on a subway platform in the Bronx on Monday afternoon
It happened just after 4:30 p.m. on the 4 train platform at the Mount Eden subway station on Jerome Avenue.
The search is on for at least one suspect, CBS New York’s Naveen Dhaliwal reported. So far, no arrests have been made.
Police sources said one of the victims, a 34-year-old man who was believed to be an innocent bystander, was taken to St. Barnabas Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
In addition, a 28-year-old man was shot in the right arm, a 29-year-old woman was shot in the face and neck, a 15-year-old male was shot in the thigh and ear, a 14-year-old female suffered a gunshot wound to foot, and a 71-year-old male was also wounded. All of the injured were listed in stable condition at various hospitals.
“Our hearts go out to the victims, for the five people who are injured and also the person whose life was lost,” MTA CEO Janno Lieber said.
Police sources said the incident is believed to have started as a fight aboard the northbound 4 train which then spilled out onto the platform, adding some of the victims were innocent bystanders who were standing on the platform when the shots were fired.
“As train pulled into the Mount Eden station, the doors opened up and at least one of the individuals in that group or in the two groups took out a gun and fired shots, and more shots were fired while on the platform and that’s when and where our victims were shot,” NYPD Chief of Transit Michael Kemper said.
Police said they are reviewing surveillance video from cameras on the platform.
Witnesses said there were about a dozen people on the platform when the shots rang out, including children.
“I heard gunshots, running, shooting, like, maybe, six times, five, six times. I heard two child screaming. And then, when I saw the train coming, that’s when I ran downstairs, because there was too many noise,” the witness said.
“It sounded like firecrackers, like boom, boom, boom, like real loud,” witness Efrain Feliciano said.
“A lot of people going down … running,” Yanesa Ortega said.
Ortega said she saw EMS crews scrambling to help those injured.
“We see that one woman was hit here, a lot of blood. They were doing the CPR,” she said. “They was giving the CPR to one boy.”
The mayor’s office does not believe the shooting was a random attack.
Video from the scene showed numerous police and emergency personnel at the station.
Chopper 2 is checking out a report of a shooting in the Bronx. Watch more local news on CBS News New York: https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/live/
Posted by CBS New York on Monday, February 12, 2024
The NYPD issued a message tor subway riders and offered stern words for the shooter.
“New Yorkers, for which we have 4 million ride a day, you are safe. You will continue to be safe. This was an isolated even. Those responsible, we will find you and we will make sure you are prosecuted,” First Deputy Commissioner Tania Kinsella said.
NEW YORK – One person has died after six people were shot on a subway platform in the Bronx.
It happened at around 4:37 p.m. Monday at the Mount Eden subway station at Jerome Avenue.
Police say four men and two women were shot on the 4 train platform. According to the fire department, four of the five people have serious injuries and one minor. All are expected to survive.
The injured were rushed to area hospitals.
The search is on for the shooter. So far, no arrests have been made.
Police are expected to share more details about the incident in a news conference at the scene shortly. We’ll bring that to you live on CBS News New York.
Video from the scene showed numerous police and emergency personnel at the station.
Chopper 2 is checking out a report of a shooting in the Bronx. Watch more local news on CBS News New York: https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/live/
Posted by CBS New York on Monday, February 12, 2024
Trains were still running but were bypassing the station in both directions. Northbound trains are using the express track from 149th Street-Grand Concourse to Burnside Avenue.
Authorities urged people to avoid the area, saying they should expect mass transit disruptions, delays and road closures as the investigation continues.
Check back soon for more on this developing story.
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NEW YORK – One person is dead and five injured after a shooting on a subway platform in the Bronx.
It happened at around 4:38 p.m. Monday at the Mount Eden subway station at Jerome Avenue.
Police say four men and two women were shot on the 4 train platform. One of the males died at the hospital.
According to the Fire Department, four of the five injured have serious injuries and one has minor injuries.
According to police sources, the incident is believed to have started as a fight aboard the northbound 4 train which then spilled out onto the platform. Sources say some of the victims are innocent bystanders who were standing on the platform when the shots were fired.
A witness said there were about a dozen people on the platform when the shots rang out, including children.
“I heard gunshots, running, shooting, like, maybe, six times, five, six times. I heard two child screaming. And then, when I saw the train coming, that’s when I ran downstairs, because there was too many noise,” the witness said.
The mayor’s office does not believe the shooting is a random attack.
The search is on for for two people, CBS New York’s Naveen Dhaliwal reported. So far, no arrests have been made.
Police are expected to share more details about the incident in a news conference at the scene shortly. We’ll bring that to you live on CBS News New York.
Video from the scene showed numerous police and emergency personnel at the station.
Chopper 2 is checking out a report of a shooting in the Bronx. Watch more local news on CBS News New York: https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/live/
Posted by CBS New York on Monday, February 12, 2024
Trains were still running but were bypassing the station in both directions. Northbound trains are using the express track from 149th Street-Grand Concourse to Burnside Avenue.
Authorities urged people to avoid the area, saying they should expect mass transit disruptions, delays and road closures as the investigation continues.
Check back soon for more on this developing story.
The person allegedly responsible for the error inspected hundreds of other buildings in New York City, the Department of Buildings commissioner said in an exclusive interview with CBS New York on Friday.
While the city has not made a final determination on what caused a section of the building in Morris Heights to collapse on Monday, Department of Buildings Commissioner Jimmy Oddo said there was an egregious error with construction being done on the day of the collapse.
“A fundamental, a basic, but crucial and catastrophic mistake,” he said.
Oddo said an engineer wrote in his inspection that the corner beam of the building was simply decorative, when in reality it was holding the building together.
“It wasn’t a close call. It shouldn’t have been a close call. This should have been obvious that this pier was load bearing, and that misjudgment and then work done based on that misjudgment is really concerning,” said Oddo.
Oddo said his investigation found construction work was being done on the day of the collapse, contrary to what first responders were initially told.
That work was to repair cracks in the building’s corner pier, based on an inspection report from a private engineer hired by the building’s owner.
“The drawings by the engineer that this work was predicated on made a fundamental mistake in what that pier was. It was not decorative. It was load bearing,” said Oddo.
It’s still early in the investigation, but the department’s initial findings are that workers were pulling out essential bricks before the structure came crashing down.
“He instructed the contractor to remove all the loose bricks and replace with new bricks. Clearly, removing bricks on a pier that supports six floors of the building above is not something that an engineer should direct a contractor to do without having additional temporary supports installed before you remove those bricks,” said Yegal Shamash, the department’s chief structural engineer.
“Was this collapse avoidable?” CBS New York’s Ali Bauman asked.
“I can’t stress enough to your viewers how fundamental of a mistake this was. It should have been clear to any professional engineer licensed by the state of New York, the integral value and importance to the integrity of the building this pier was,” said Oddo.
“Should the contractor have known better?” Bauman asked.
“The engineer had a set of plans. They were following those sets of plans,” Shamash said.
Now, more than 40 families are without a home, moving Friday from one emergency shelter to the next.
“I don’t have a house. I don’t have clothes. I don’t have nothing,” resident Leticia Ortiz said.
The Department of Buildings said the same engineer submitted facade inspections for more than 300 buildings across New York City.
“And to restore the confidence of New Yorkers, we’re sending, we’re looking at all of the work done by this engineer,” said Oddo.
The department is suspending the engineer’s ability to do facade inspections in New York City and lobbying the state to reexamine the status of his license for inspections in general.
At the same time, Oddo said he’ll have to look at the city’s process for inspections with private engineers.
The Department of Buildings does not have enough of its own staff to inspect every building in New York City, so it relies on property owners to hire their own engineers and submit inspections to the city, which is what happened here.
Now, the DOB is re-inspecting the 40 other properties owned by this same landlord, as well as the more than 350 buildings in New York that have been inspected by this particular engineer.
“With something like this that was literally able to fall through the cracks, does the city of New York need to change how these buildings are inspected in general?” Bauman asked.
“We are taking a really hard look at all of our internal processes to see what could we do differently and do better,” Oddo said.
We reached out to the engineer and the landlord for comment and are waiting to hear back.
Ali Bauman joined CBS2 News as a general assignment reporter in 2016. Ali is a proud millennial who embraces social media for storytelling to bring news to a new generation of viewers.
NEW YORK — A third arrest has been made in the suspected drug overdose death of 1-year-old Nicholas Dominici at a Bronx day care.
Renny Antonio Parra Paredes was arraigned in federal court Monday morning. He’s charged with conspiracy to distribute narcotics resulting in death.
Police are still searching for the day care owner’s husband, who they believe may have fled to his native Dominican Republic, sources told CBS New York. The NYPD has notified national police in the Dominican Republic, sources said.
In addition to Dominici’s death, three babies were hospitalized after being exposed to fentanyl on Sept. 15 at Divino Nino Day Care, police said.
The Drug Enforcement Administration alleges Paredes, nicknamed “El Gallo,” or “The Rooster,” played an instrumental role in the drug distribution operation.
During a search of Paredes’ apartment, investigators claim they found tools and instruments used to prepare and distribute narcotics, including strainers, tape, a grinder, plastic bags and digital scales.
Law enforcement also said they found what appeared to be two clear bags filled with a grayish powder and a rectangular brick-shaped package, which appeared to contain drugs.
The indictment against Paredes alleges officials found glassine envelopes with the same red stamp reading “Red Dawn” that was found at the day care.
If found guilty, Paredes faces 20 years to life in prison.
Ali Bauman joined CBS2 News as a general assignment reporter in 2016. Ali is a proud millennial who embraces social media for storytelling to bring news to a new generation of viewers.
That’s because of the amount of drugs found. In fact, authorities said they found enough fentanyl to kill 500,000 people.
Three other kids were hospitalized after being exposed to fentanyl that was allegedly being processed at the site in the Bronx.
Police said they found a kilogram of fentanyl in a hallway closet at the day care, stacked on top of children’s play mats. They also said they found three kilo press machines, which are used to package drugs.
Federal officials held a news conference to discuss the federal charges Tuesday. We brought that news conference to you live on CBS News New York.
“This case is different. We allege the defendants poisoned four babies, and killed one of them, because they were running a drug operation from a day care center. A day care center – a place where children should be kept safe, not surrounded by a drug that can kill them in an instant,” U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said.
Williams said Grei Mendez tried to cover up the fentanyl operation before calling emergency responders. Mendez and her husband’s cousin Carlisto Acevedo Brito, who was renting a bedroom at the day care, are under arrest on murder and drug charges. They now face federal charges of conspiracy to distribute narcotics resulting in death and possession with intent to distribute narcotics resulting in death.
Williams said the federal charges carry a range of 20 years to life in prison.
Investigators said evidence proves Mendez and Brito were active participants in the drug-running scheme.
“As alleged in the complaint, before emergency personnel arrived at the day care, before they arrived, Mendez and a co-conspirator tried to cover up what happened. Seconds before Mendez called 911, she called a co-conspirator. Minutes later, a co-conspirator arrived at the day care. Minutes later, he left the day care and fled out the back alley, carrying two full shopping bags. And all of that happened while the children, the babies, were suffering from the effects of fentanyl poisoning and in desperate need of help,” Williams said.
“In my 32 years of government service, 25 of which has been spent serving with the DEA, there is no more devastating news or tragedy than the loss of a child, and every New Yorker should be outraged by this senseless tragedy,” DEA Special Agent in Charge Frank Tarentino said.
Officers are searching for Mendez’s husband, who’s described in court records as a co-conspirator.
Williams was asked how confident they were they would find the co-conspirator.
“We’re going to get him,” Williams said.
Investigators say as Mendez was talking to officers she messaged her husband that police were asking about him and suggested he find a lawyer.
Police also searched Brito’s phone. They said Brito received messages in August and September that they believe were related to the distribution of drugs from the day care.
When questioned by detectives, both Brito and Mendez denied having any knowledge of the drugs.
The criminal complaint also says Mendez deleted more than 21,500 messages from an app on which she communicated with her husband between March of 2021 and this month.
Fentanyl is “the most urgent threat in our nation”
Tarentino said more 110,000 Americans have died as a result of drug poisoning.
“Fentanyl is a killer. Fentanyl crept into our illicit drug supply like a cancer, slowly and deceptively, and it is now in everything, everywhere, killing victims instantly and indiscriminately. Fentanyl is the most urgent threat in our nation and the tragedy that unfolded in the Bronx at the Divino Nino day care center demonstrates the danger that fentanyl poses to every New Yorker,” Tarentino said.
“This is a tragedy, and my heart breaks for the children and their families. But I promise you this: We’re going to keep fighting for justice, in this case and every other case involving this deadly poison,” Williams said. “I also have a message for anyone out there who is selling fentanyl: Stop pushing this poison. It kills. It ruins lives, and it will ruin yours too when we catch you, convict you, and send you to federal prison.”
Williams called fentanyl a “public health crisis.”
“I’m a lawyer, I’m the United States Attorney here, but I’m a father,” Williams said. “Common sense dictates when you drop off your baby, you expect the baby to be kept safe. I don’t think there’s any other way to look at it other than it being incredibly reckless, one of the most reckless things that a human can do, to endanger the life of a child like that.”
We also have new photos of what police said are drugs and paraphernalia from inside the day care.
Federal authorities say this picture shows a kilgoram of fentanyl found at Divino Nino day care, where toddler Nicholas Dominici died.
U.S Attorney’s Office
The pictures show what is allegedly a kilo of fentanyl and a kilo press.
Authorities said this is a kilo press device found at Divino Nino day care in the Bronx, where toddler Nicholas Dominici died.
U.S Attorney’s Office
Watch: Adams blasts fentanyl problem after Bronx day care death
City officials defended their inspectors, who had given the center the OK days earlier.
“I’m very sorry, but one of the things my child care inspectors are not trained to do is look for fentanyl. But maybe we need to start,” said New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan.
“That little piece, that little corner, about less than the size of a fingernail. A tenth of a size of a fingernail can kill an adult. So imagine what it could do to a child,” said Mayor Eric Adams, highlighting the drug’s potency.
NEW YORK — A 1-year-old boy died and three other children were rushed to a local hospital after an incident at a Bronx day care Friday.
We’re told day care workers put the children down for a nap Friday afternoon, and then some of them would not wake up.
Investigators are still trying to figure out exactly what happened, but police sources tell us first responders administered Narcan to the babies and it worked for at least one of them.
Divino Niño Daycare became a crime scene Friday. A worker called EMS to the child care center on Morris Avenue just before 3 p.m. saying several babies were unresponsive.
“The door was open. The kids were just there laying down,” witness Mel Ramirez said.
Ramirez lives in the building and came out when she heard the worker screaming for help.
“And she started saying that the kids were dying, and then I saw one of the kids laying down and he wasn’t responding, and then the lady came out with the other child trying to make him respond, but he wasn’t responding,” Ramirez said.
Four children were rushed to the hospital, some in cardiac arrest.
A 1-year-old boy died. Two 2-year-old boys and an 8-month-old girl are still being treated.
“It was very horrifying. I wish I never saw it,” Ramirez said.
The FDNY tested for carbon monoxide and ruled it out.
Sources tell us investigators tested the baby formula for fentanyl, but it came back negative.
“Brand new floors, state of the art, you know, beautiful place, nice people,” neighbor Anna Ortiz-Irving said.
The day care just opened this year.
CBS New York investigative reporter Tim McNicholas found it was inspected as recently as last week, and the Office of Children and Family Services found no violations at the time.
“Everything was spotless,” Ortiz-Irving said.
Police are questioning an employee of the day care.
At least one baby is still in critical condition; the other two are stable.
Sources tell us the scene Friday was so devastating that first responders who were there are being offered counseling.
Ali Bauman joined CBS2 News as a general assignment reporter in 2016. Ali is a proud millennial who embraces social media for storytelling to bring news to a new generation of viewers.
Many believe hip-hop was born 50 years ago, on August 11, 1973, at a party in the Bronx. Adriana Diaz takes a look at the music genre’s impact on dance over the years.
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