Those neighbors are identifying the victim as 59-year-old Willis Moore, who they say was the manager of the Ann St. parking garage.
"I think it's honestly a lot to take in," the victim's neighbor Jaedan Hurst said. "When my sister we outside walking her dog, she came back in and told me my neighbor had an accident at work and they did say he passed away from the accident at work."
Moore was believed to have been in the office on the second floor of the four-story garage, when out of nowhere the concrete above caved in. The body of the victim was removed from the debris Wednesday evening and was on the way to the medical examiner's officer.
Enterprise Ann Parking, LLC, the tenant of the parking garage released a statement on Wednesday.
"This is a tragic event. We are devastated at the loss of one of our long-time employees and our thoughts are with his family and those who were injured in the accident," the statement said.
WATCH | NYC parking garage collapse: What cleanup crews have to contend with
NYC parking garage collapse: What cleanup crews have to contend with
"As soon as I turned the news on, I heard of the collapse," the victim's neighbor Kurt Jacobs said. "I said to myself, I pray that's not his garage. That's what went through my mind."
Neighbors say Moore was a father of four children. One of his daughters is an active-duty NYPD officer. Neighbors say Moore grew up and lived in Laurelton, Queens most of his life.
"I can't process this," Jacobs said. "Because last summer I shared vegetables with him and we're both from Jamaica."
"From what I know he likes to fish a lot," Hurst said. "Anytime he would go would always bring something for my mom as well. When he was little he would give us tickets to Six Flags."
ALSO READ | FDNY deployed robotic Dalmatian dog to survey unstable collapsed parking garage in Manhattan
Video shows digidog in action at parking garage collapse
That is just one of the kind-hearted neighborly gestures Moore was known for. Another was hiring contractors to fix broken sidewalk.
"He's a like a fixture in the neighborhood," Jacobs said. "I see him as a fixture because he was such a nice guy to talk too."
----------
* Get Eyewitness News Delivered
* More Manhattan news
* Send us a news tip
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
* Follow us on YouTube