The incident sparked fears of a collapse. Officials say the former Pfizer headquarters is now stable, but union members gathered near the site Thursday to protest, alleging developers cut corners and put workers and future residents at risk.
Sean Dow was supposed to be working on the building's fire sprinkler system when he instead encountered what he described as a collapsing column and a frantic effort to get everyone out of the building.
"At first it was nerve-racking," Dow said. "You don't know how long you have."
Dow, of Coram, Long Island, and his construction crew recorded video from inside the former Pfizer building, which is being converted into apartments.
Speaking exclusively with Eyewitness News, Dow, a journeyman with Steamfitters Local 638 and a shop steward at the job site, described how workers discovered buckled beams and sagging floors.
"That day was a simple, regular morning," Dow said. "I was with the foreman. He gave me the task for the day. I went up to the 22nd floor, gathered the materials we needed and started walking the area."
He said while he was checking out what he was going to do for the day, he noticed some cracks in the floor.
"Nothing that raised significant suspicion, but I went down to the 21st floor, where I met with the general contractors and everyone huddled up," he said. "We found the beam, took pictures and sent them to my foreman."
Dow said from there, they decided it was time to evacuate the building.
"I gathered my guys. They were on the fifth floor. I ran down the stairs and told them it was time to get off the site," he said. "The building could possibly be collapsing. I gathered the rest of the workers I could find, and we evacuated the building."
Dow said he was scheduled to work on the building's fire sprinkler system that day and had been working at the site for about a year before additional floors were added to the structure.
"It's a horrible thing to happen," he said. "If anything, we're lucky it happened now instead of three years from now, when there are thousands of people living in the building."
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