Stretch of 7th Avenue closed after debris falls from Sheraton Hotel

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN (WABC) -- A stretch of Seventh Avenue in Midtown Manhattan has been shut down after three pieces of debris fell from a hotel onto a parked car.

Three panels detached from the 44th floor of the Sheraton Hotel just before midnight Sunday, and the street was closed due to concerns that more debris could fall.

The panels landed onto a parked car. There were no injuries.

The city Buildings Department says high winds likely contributed to the incident, and said the hotel will install a sidewalk shed on Seventh Avenue as a precaution.

Inspectors from the department will evaluate the structural integrity of the building's facade.

Seventh Avenue is closed from West 52nd Street to West 53rd Street to vehicular and pedestrian traffic.

The Buildings Department released a statement that said in part:

"Our team worked with local business owners and our partner agencies to guide pedestrian access to neighboring buildings. Streets in the immediate vicinity, including Seventh Avenue, will remain closed until our engineering investigation is complete and it is safe to restore the flow of traffic. The exact cause of the incident remains under investigation. Building owners are responsible for ensuring that their buildings are secure during high-wind events."

It appears the incident involved two 5' X 9' lightweight aluminum panels and a 2' x 2' corner panel that detached from the west facing wall of the hotel.

DOB and private engineers will access and examine the remaining panels using a swing scaffold, and repair them if necessary.