NYC Crane Collapse Has Unusual Connections

The Friday morning crane collapse in mid-town Manhattan is causing some frayed nerves at another construction site. On the corner of 1st Avenue and 45th St. sits another major construction project, which is scheduled for completion later this year. The site is the future home of the United States Mission to the United Nations.

It sits just a few hundred feet across the street from the U.N.'s General Assembly building and the VIP Delegates Entrance. That same entrance is the one often used by President George Bush and numerous other heads of state.

The contractor for the new U.S./U.N. mission is the DeMatteis Corporation of Elmont LI. It is the same company that was at the site of the Friday morning crane collapse.

On top of the 20-story U.S. mission sits an eerily idle crane, similar to the one that collapsed. It overlooks one of the most congested areas of mid-town. More than 11,000 workers commute to U.N. headquarters daily and many pass by the U.S. Mission construction site. In addition, thousands of cars, buses and taxis push their way up 1st Ave. directly in front of the construction site on any given day.

NYC building records show the DeMatteis Corporation to be among the top 25 contractors in the Big Apple and among the 25 largest real estate organizations in the United States. Its website also proudly proclaims it is the largest builder of public schools on Long Island.