Elevator
accident in
Mott Haven
kills one
BY JASON COHEN
Tragedy struck Mott Haven
Wednesday when an elevator
collapsed at the home
of the former historic Ruppert
Ice House at 20 Bruckner Boulevard,
killing a construction
worker and injuring another.
According to the NYPD,
on May 19, at 8 a.m., police
responded to a call of a collapsed
elevator and upon arrival
found two unconscious
and unresponsive adult
males inside of an elevator.
EMS responded to the
scene and pronounced one
male deceased. The second
man, 29-years-old, was transported
to NYC Health & Hospitals/
Lincoln in critical
condition.
According to Department
of Buildings Spokesman Andrew
Rudansky, the two construction
workers were using
the elevator at the work site
to transport construction
debris between fl oors, when
the elevator fell to the bottom
fl oor. This address has active
construction permits for a
major alteration and vertical
enlargement of the existing
building.
The DOB has issued a full
stop work order for the entire
site. The investigation into
is ongoing and enforcement
actions are pending the results.
“Every worker who leaves
for the job site in the morning
deserves to come home safely
at night,” Rudansky said.
“We are committed to fi nding
out how this tragic incident
occurred, and if we fi nd that
safety rules were ignored, we
will hold those responsible
to account. Along with our
partners in law enforcement,
investigators from our Construction
Safety and Elevator
Enforcement units will
be conducting a thorough investigation
of the events that
led up to this incident.” Getty Images
Bronx drug dealers charged with causing
BY BRONX TIMES
overdose death from fentanyl
Two Bronx drug dealers
face life in prison after they
were charged Thursday with
distributing fentanyl that
killed a man.
Michael Kelleher,35 and
Mark Gonzalez,43, were also
charged with participating
in a conspiracy to distribute
and possess with intent to distribute
fentanyl and using and
carrying a fi rearm in connection
with a drug traffi cking offense.
“Opioids have a well-known
history of causing overdoses,
destroying lives, and devastating
communities,” said
NYPD Commissioner Dermot
Shea. “That’s why the NYPD
and its law enforcement partners
work tirelessly to rid our
city of these and other deadly
drugs and work tirelessly to
prosecute those who sell them.
I want to thank the investigators
BRONX TIMES R 10 EPORTER, MAY 28-JUNE 3, 2021 BTR
and prosecutors who
worked on this investigation.
It is their work that brings
some measure of justice to this
family who lost their loved one
to a senseless overdose.”
According to the investigation,
on May 19, 2020, the
victim was found dead in his
home in the Bronx and law
enforcement agents identifi
ed Kelleher as the dealer
who sold the victim pure fentanyl.
Following the victim’s
death, offi cers went undercover
and purchased additional
quantities of fentanyl
from Kelleher, and his supplier,
Gonzalez, which were
packaged exactly like those
found in the victim’s residence
on the day of his death.
They also sold a fi rearm with
a defaced serial number to
the undercover cop.
Sirens, lights, police Getty Images