The third defendant for the Deutsche Bank fire trial was found not guilty of manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide today. Michael Alvo was the third and final defendant to be acquitted of charges related to the tragedy that took the lives of two firefighters trying to put out the 2008 seven-alarm fire. more ›

It turns out that the Manhattan DA's office, while investigating the 2007 deaths of two firefighters during a 7-alarm blaze at the former Deutsche Bank building (the fire was started by a construction worker's cigarette), found evidence of a huge check cashing scam. The NY Times reports, "Investigators examined the financial records of the John Galt Corporation, a subcontractor hired to remove asbestos from the building and dismantle it... The investigators discovered that Galt"—later charged with manslaughter for the firefighters' deaths— "was one of 389 construction-related companies that had participated in an unlawful check-cashing operation that lasted from October 2006 until July 2008 and involved about $40 million." Manhattan DA Robert Morgenthau said, "They could avoid paying taxes and they could use the cash for a number of illegal purposes, and that’s the subject of a continuing investigation. Why did they want to generate this cash and conceal it?" The owners of two of the check cashing companies were charged with falsifying business records. And for more examination of what a mess the former Deutsche Bank building demolition has been, check out Wayne Barrett's Village Voice cover story from last week, "Even Bloomberg's Department of Investigations (DOI) found last month, in a report barely noticed by the press, that it was a case of death by official dereliction." more ›

When announcing manslaughter charges against three construction supervisors (pictured) in the 2007 fatal Deutsche Bank building fire, Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau said of the tragedy, "Everyone who could have screwed up did screw up. It's just amazing the amount of mistakes that were made here." more ›

Last year, a seven-alarm fire, started by a construction worker's smoking, broke out at the former Deutsche Bank building. Two firefighters died in the blaze, and now three construction supervisors overseeing in the building's dismantling are expected to face manslaughter charges from the Manhattan DA's office today. more ›

Last year, the former Deutsche Bank building was in the process of being dismantled when a fire broke out on August 18. It escalated into a seven-alarm blaze, and two firefighters died after when their oxygen tanks were depleted. It turned out a construction worker's smoking caused the fire, but there were a host of other problems, from the dismantled standpipe (which brings water up in case of fires), blocked exits, and a lack of inspections to make sure the dismantling was being handled carefully. more ›

Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a child shot on Kingsborough Walk in Brooklyn, a person under a train at Kingston Ave. and Lincoln Pl. in Brooklyn, and a pedestrian struck at 12th St. and 8th Ave. in Manhattan. John Mayer performed an impromptu set at the Mercury Lounge to the surprise of attendees last night. John Galt Corp., the contractor doing the demolition work at the Deutsche Bank Building where two firefighters were killed,... more ›

Wow - the NY Post got a hold of a FDNY battalion chief's 2005 memo that clearly outlines a plan for fighting fires at the Deutsche Bank building. The FDNY had admitted last week that it did not have a pre-fire plan before the August 18 fire that required over 200 firefighters and took the lives of two. more ›

Yesterday, firefighters and the community were in Bay Ridge to remember Joseph Graffagnino, one of the firefighters who died while fighting last Saturday's 7-alarm fire at the Deutsche Bank building. The building, which was in the process of being dismantled, has been described as a deathtrap, what with the contractors using flammable materials, a broken standpipe (which couldn't deliver water to the fire), and a lack of FDNY inspection. more ›

The FDNY did not inspect the Deutsche Bank building every 15 days, "as required by city rules for buildings being demolished" (NY Times). This revelation, coupled with the fact that the FDNY did not have a plan to go into the burning building, prompts the Post to demand that Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta leave his post. more ›