A documented pattern before the failure
Public records reviewed by several outlets show the site’s general contractor, identified as 235 GC LLC, had accumulated seven construction-safety violations in 2025, including a temporary stop-work order issued after a metal panel fell from the 33rd storey in August 2025, according to CBS News New York and city Buildings Department records. The City Reporter put the associated penalties at $32,530, and reported complaints about unsafe conditions at the site dating to spring 2025; some outlets, reviewing longer time windows, cite higher violation counts. Notably, The Real Deal reported that records show no money was actually paid on the 2025 violations: each was resolved when the department accepted certificates of correction, with all but one of the infractions classified as immediately hazardous.