Midtown Cleaning Gondola Accident

Gothamist was walking around midtown when we noticed firetrucks pulling into West 56th Street, between Broadway and 7th Avenue. It turns out that a cleaning gondola (the contraption building exterior cleaning crews use to scale the walls) had crashed into the scaffolding around a building at the corner of West 56th and Broadway; we think a worker was killed Firefighters were working to clear some of the debris from the scaffolding, and residents of the Carnegie Mews watched from their apartments.

A number of reporters and photographers were on the scene; we overheard a reporter saying that the firefighters needed to collect pieces of the scaffolding (maybe for evidence) before the body could be moved. Indeed, the FDNY had extended a truck's cherry picker to send firefighters with various tools onto the scaffolding's roof. The reporter also told the news desk the incident happened down the street from the Hooters, which had the sign "The Unofficial Convention Headquarters."

One firefighter waited for the other firefighters to come back up with an evidence bag; note the warped railing of the gondola.

Most firefighters were just waiting around to help with moving the firetrucks as four or five were up in the scaffolding.

The police tended to the body.

More details to come.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Chung in News on September 3, 2004 5:50 PM

Comments [rss]

chris

can someone tell me for sure if it was suicide? weird, b/c it wasn't in any of the newspapers, and the doormen are being so secretive about it. i can't figure out why they would lie and say it was an accident.

Chris Smith

Can someone tell me for sure if this was a suicide? It's so weird! I live in the Carnegie Mews, and the doormen, etc. are being so secretive about it. Why would they claim it was an accident if it wasn't?

Chris Smith

Can someone tell me for sure if this was a suicide? It's so weird! I live in the Carnegie Mews, and the doormen, etc. are being so secretive about it. Why would they claim it was an accident if it wasn't?

Chris Smith

Can someone tell me for sure if this was a suicide? It's so weird! I live in the Carnegie Mews, and the doormen, etc. are being so secretive about it.

Brian

According to those people I talked with, it was suicide, and not an accident.

Brian

This was no accident! And he was not part of any cleaning crew working that day. In fact, he does not even live in the building. I know this because I talked with people who where there when it happened.

BrianVan

Seriously, is this something that you didn't notice yet? Every single author on this site refers to themselves as "Gothamist" in the third person. It's a quirky style, and I like how the theme plays across the whole site. It's as if all of these writers represented one person that is the essence of a New York City dweller, which means that these articles represent all of us. And many of the articles are targeted toward us, which makes it all the more appropriate.

Frankly, the only bizarre thing about this story was that this was the only place from which I'd heard it. I don't recall seeing it in the Post, Daily News, Times, or either of the free dailies. Then again, I might have missed it somewhere...

S.D.

Well, S.D. Notes (Wow, that does feel weird!), Maybe Jen would change her name to Legally "Gothamist"?

Why not? Remember Cpl. Optimus Prime or My personal Favorite Head Bubba (The One on the right. Met him a couple of times, a Nice guy)

At any rate, as the Editor, I think she's just putting a little Editorial Spin on things she posts, That's all. S.D. See's no harm in this...

;)

juliuss

I like second-person best. Don't you?

Yellow Thunder

"Gothamist was walking around midtown." Really? Aside from the physical impossibilities of this, Yellow Thunder (a regular reader) thinks that writing in the third person sounds a bit pompous and self-important, but recognizes that there is a time and place for it. This article was neither. Yellow Thunder also believes that Gothamist (and its progeny) uses this style way too often. Please, Yellow begs of you, cut back on the third person. It makes his skin crawl like when fingernails are scraped across a chalkboard.

Sterling

It's dangerous work, and they're brave men for being able to do it.

Ian

Hi-

I actually saw the guy fall - it was from the roof level, the 36th floor (I have a view north from 52nd stret, and happened to be looking out my window when this happened). I didn't think he was in any cleaning contraption, though ... it just looked like he fell (or jumped) off of the roof.

Very scary stuff...

S.D.

Jen, if you don't work as a reporter you should consider it.

Back on Topic:

That's Awful. IMO, you can't pay those guys enough to go out and work like that...

BytchInNY

those things always look scary to me but i'd never heard of one crashing or any sort of accident with one before. you could not pay me enough to wash windows in one of htose things!