www.qns.com APRIL 15, 2022 2RIDGEWOOD TIMES
Man falls to his death at Ridgewood Towers construction site
BY JULIA MORO
EDITORIAL@QNS.COM
@QNS
A man fell to his death in an elevator
shaft at the Myrtle Point/Ridgewood
Towers development last week while
working at the construction site, which had
received multiple safety violations in the
months leading up to the tragedy.
Police said that at approximately 3 p.m.
on April 6, Holger Molino-Pinos, 45, fell
down an elevator shaft after slipping on
a beam while moving a plywood board.
Molino-Pinos fell down an approximately
20-foot hole into the basement below. He
was immediately transported to Wyckoff
Hospital where he was pronounced dead
shortly after.
According to NYC Department of Buildings
(DOB) spokesperson Ana Alcantara,
the day after the fall, DOB inspectors issued
a full stop work order with an impending
investigation.
The Myrtle Point development, also
known as Ridgewood Towers, located at 3-50
St. Nicholas Ave., will be 17 stories — making
it the tallest building in the area once
completed. The mixed-use building will be
used for retail and residential spaces.
According to the DOB, the first four
floors will be dedicated to commercial use.
In the months leading up to this fatal incident,
DOB issued a total of eight violations
regarding safety conditions at the construction
site. These violations could total
thousands of dollars in fines pending an
Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings
investigation.
One violation issued in March cited
a “failure to institute/maintain safety
measures resulting in worker injury due
to inadequate housekeeping at time of
inspection.”
Ted Renz, the executive director of the
Myrtle Avenue Business Improvement District,
said that this accident was a tragedy.
“We are deeply saddened by this tragic
accident and loss of life at this construction
site,” Renz said. “This is a major development
in the Myrtle Avenue Business Improvement
District that will bring major
retail and new housing opportunities to
the community.”
On March 23, just a couple of weeks before
the fatal fall, DOB issued safety violations
after another worker was injured due
to “poor safety conditions.”
The Ridgewood Towers project was
originally met with much opposition from
the local community and its leaders when it
was proposed over five years ago.
The Ridgewood Tenants Union (RTU)
also took issue with the fact the project was
delayed for years.
In 2020, RTU organized an 11-car caravan to
protest outside the home of Meir Babaev, the
president of AB Capstone, in Jamaica Estates.
According to RTU, the developers’ neglect
of the property presented quality-oflife
issues for the neighborhood.
“The project has been stalled since 2015
while scaffolding has taken up the community’s
public space, created safety hazards
for pedestrians and accumulated piles of
garbage that make sidewalks unsanitary,”
said a recent statement from RTU. “This
was a disaster waiting to happen and the
group demands the project come to a complete
halt until the developers meet with
the community and be held accountable for
the harm they have caused thus far. “
Ridgewood Times reached out to the
developer AB Capstone for comment and
is waiting for a response. Visit QNS.com for
updates.
Rendering courtesy of AB Capstone
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