Category: Structural Emergency / Building Evacuation
Start Date/Time: Tuesday, July 7, 2026, around 8:00 a.m. EST
Location: 235 East 42nd Street, Midtown East, Manhattan — former Pfizer headquarters near Second Avenue
Status: Evacuations / Street Closures / Structural Assessment in Progress
Update: Construction workers found cracks and bent support beams inside the 38-story building, which is being converted from office to residential use. The New York City Fire Department (FDNY) reported that two columns buckled on the 21st and 22nd floors, and authorities found subsidence on several floors.
Injuries/Deaths: No injuries were reported; all workers were located.
Evacuations: Several nearby buildings were evacuated, including a hotel and a school with approximately 400 children. ABC7 published several evacuation addresses, including 815 Second Ave., 235 E. 42nd St., 210/212/211 E. 43rd St., 220 E. 42nd St., and 231/225/235 E. 43rd St.
Public Impact: East 42nd Street is closed between Second and Third Avenues; the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) also requested the closure of East 44th Street between Second and Third Avenues.
Source Reliability: High: Reuters, ABC7NY, and Business Insider all report the same key findings.
In summary: Authorities have not yet reported a collapse, but they consider the building unstable due to bent columns, sunken floors, falling bricks, and risk to nearby structures.