Crews start work on removal of bus from partial garage collapse in North New Hyde Park
North Hempstead officials said the town buildings department is expediting work permits to move the process along.
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Crews with chainsaws worked to cut back shrubbery and a fence to make room for a crane to lift a charter bus that has been stuck since a multilevel garage partially collapsed in North New Hyde Park earlier this week.
North Hempstead Town officials said the owner of the office and lot also owns the land that runs between Union Turnpike and the building.
Officials added that crews would likely have to take out 25 feet of fencing and cut down trees in the middle of the wooded area to allow a crane through that could hoist the bus off the lot.
"It's insane," Stacey Spitalnick, who works in the adjacent building, said. " It's like out of a movie."
North Hempstead Town officials said engineers hired by the property owner where the collapse happened were on the scene Wednesday. The town also sent inspectors that same day to the surrounding properties to check for any structural issues and said they were prepared to close down any additional lots if necessary.
On Tuesday, first responders said a coach bus fell through the top of the parking garage at 1979 Marcus Ave. just after 5 p.m. No one was injured and the only person on the bus at the time, the driver, was pulled to safety.
"It's scary because if it plunges, not only will it affect the building on the other side of the fence, but it will affect us too," Wantagh resident Nancy Ubides said.
First responders said the vehicle was stabilized, but the back half was still in the ground with the front half pointing several feet in the air.
It's unclear whether the bus was in an area where it shouldn't have been due to its weight or if the garage has proper signage.
Crews installed a fence overnight to secure the area after employees in the building were observed approaching the bus throughout the day on Wednesday.
According to town officials, the parking garage did not have any violations and was last inspected in 2022. State law requires the property to be inspected every three years, so it's due for another inspection this year.
A report done by the property owner's engineers will determine the cause of the collapse. Town officials are waiting for that, though they have not ruled out whether Tuesday's extreme heat played a role.
