Brooklyn man stable after fire escape collapse sends him plummeting 4 stories

PROSPECT LEFFERTS GARDENS, Brooklyn (WABC) -- A man fell four stories when the fire escape he was standing on partially collapsed in Brooklyn Friday night.

Authorities say the 23-year-old man was leaning against a railing on the fourth-floor fire escape at the Lefferts Boulevard apartment building when it apparently gave way around 11:30 p.m.

Part of the fire escape broke off of the five-story building, and the victim plunged to the sidewalk.

He was rushed to Kings County Hospital in stable condition and is expected to survive.

He is believed to have been smoking on the fire escape at the time.

He does not live in the building, but nearby.

The unexpected fall raised concerns and prompted immediate repair work set up by the building owner. Residents pointed out that most problems are addressed quickly.

"What the situation was last night or why the individual was out there, I don't know," resident Richard Witt said. "Any problem that we've ever had with them, they fix almost immediately. So I'm surprised that this happened."

City records show no outstanding problems or failures with the fire escapes at the location, but investigators are being asked by the NYPD for a stability inspection.

The Department of Buildings issued a violation for failure to maintain the fire escape.