Bronx retaining wall collapse damages nearby buildings; city, residents knew of problem, but fixes too costly

A retaining wall that collapsed Wednesday in the rear of a Bronx apartment building into a car repair business next door was the subject of a Department of Buildings violation in 2020 — and neighbors said the problem was an issue on the block not seen as having an easy fix.

A 150-foot stretch of retaining wall that spanned several properties behind Anthony Ave. in Morris Heights broke away, damaging a number of buildings, said Buildings Department officials.

Five buildings on Anthony Ave. and three businesses on Carter Ave. were affected, said the agency. No injuries were reported.

Calls about the collapse were received at 6:53 a.m., and 78 fire and EMS personnel responded, said police.

Carter Auto Repair on Carter Ave. was severely damaged in the collapse. A car at the repair shop was crushed by a large chunk of concrete and piles of debris piled up below the wall.

“Thank God no one was here when it happened,” said Judy Jimenez, a worker at the shop. Four men worked in the damaged section of the business, and they were changing an engine on another car a bit away from the collapse scene, Jimenez said.

Jimenez, who has been working at the repair business for three years, said two cars were damaged, including one belonging to the shop’s owner.

She was concerned about what will happen to the business. “A lot of people working here depend on weekly checks,” she said. Jimenez wasn’t sure if the entire building would be vacated, “but we’ll definitely have to close this section for now.”

A partial vacate order was in place for a two-story house on Anthony Ave. at the collapse scene after the Buildings Department issued a violation to its owner in November 2020 citing the danger of the wall at the rear property line. The violation noted that the wall was in disrepair, and could collapse.

The violation was still open when the wall collapsed on Wednesday. The city had ordered the building owner to vacate its rear yard until the problem was fixed.

Neighbors on the stretch of Anthony Ave. — just north of the Cross Bronx Expressway — said the retaining wall is shared by all the buildings on the block, and noted that improvements to one owner’s section of wall aren’t much good unless the other owners make a similar effort.

“We don’t have the money. It only takes God to help us. Even if I do mine, what about the rest of the neighbors?” said Mary Agyapong, 62, who has lived on the block since 2003.

“Something’s gotta be done to help us,” Agyapong said. “How long does the city want to wait? Until the whole building collapses without helping us?”

Grafton Jones, 48, has lived in a house adjacent to the impacted building for eight years. He and nine other homeowners on the block had previously notified the city about the wall’s danger.

“We had a problem concerning the retaining wall at the back that separates our property,” Jones said. “We even had an appointment with the city, the councilmen and all of the property owners to notify the city that the wall is damaged and need to be fixed.”

The neighbors filed complaints in 2020 and 2022, said Jones.

But up to yesterday, Jones said, the meetings with Buildings Department officials and elected officials had come to naught — and neighborhood residents could not themselves afford the needed repair work.

The public officials “said that they’re going to determine who’s supposed to fix the wall — if it’s them or if it’s us,” said Jones. “That’s where we are stuck.” He added the neighbors were “trying to get help to see who’s going to fix the wall.”

Agyapong said that the issues surrounding the retaining wall left her feeling hopeless. During a public meeting on the subject, she said, “I couldn’t help but cry.”

“They informed us that the repairs would cost a significant amount — between $50,000 and $100,000,” Agyapong said. “As a middle-class worker, struggling to make ends meet and support my family, it was heartbreaking.”