"City Cracks Down on Demolition Contractor After Bronx Building Collapse"
The New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) has taken swift action against a demolition contractor, suspending his ability to work in the city and halting construction at all sites he's involved with following a partial building collapse in the Bronx. Yakov Eisenbach, a general contractor with Hexagon Industries Inc., had a history of ignoring stop work orders at multiple job sites across the five boroughs.
According to officials, an investigation revealed that Eisenbach was aware of a stop work order already in place at the site where the partial building collapse occurred on January 12. Inspectors had previously flagged the project for unsafe demolition and scaffolding without proper permits or guardrails. The agency has since filed a case against Eisenbach, seeking to revoke his ability to obtain construction permits going forward.
The DOB cited Eisenbach's repeated violations, including failing to comply with stop work orders, conducting demolition work out of sequence, and using an excavator in a manner not approved by the city. These actions were deemed to pose an imminent risk to public safety and required immediate disciplinary action.
This is not the first time Eisenbach has faced scrutiny from the DOB. The agency had previously investigated him for unsafe demolition operations elsewhere in the city, with seven documented instances of violating stop work orders. In one recent incident, an excavator was used without DOB approval at a site in Queens, while another project in Brooklyn involved demolition performed out of sequence and making the remaining structure unstable.
City officials are taking Eisenbach's actions as a wake-up call for the importance of strong enforcement in protecting public safety during construction projects. "Being careless with construction doesn't just break the law – it puts lives at risk," said City Councilmember Pierina Sanchez, chair of the housing and buildings committee. The agency's decisive action is seen as a strong message to contractors that such behavior will not be tolerated.
Construction can resume only once property owners hire new contractors. Eisenbach has not yet responded to requests for comment on the allegations against him.
The New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) has taken swift action against a demolition contractor, suspending his ability to work in the city and halting construction at all sites he's involved with following a partial building collapse in the Bronx. Yakov Eisenbach, a general contractor with Hexagon Industries Inc., had a history of ignoring stop work orders at multiple job sites across the five boroughs.
According to officials, an investigation revealed that Eisenbach was aware of a stop work order already in place at the site where the partial building collapse occurred on January 12. Inspectors had previously flagged the project for unsafe demolition and scaffolding without proper permits or guardrails. The agency has since filed a case against Eisenbach, seeking to revoke his ability to obtain construction permits going forward.
The DOB cited Eisenbach's repeated violations, including failing to comply with stop work orders, conducting demolition work out of sequence, and using an excavator in a manner not approved by the city. These actions were deemed to pose an imminent risk to public safety and required immediate disciplinary action.
This is not the first time Eisenbach has faced scrutiny from the DOB. The agency had previously investigated him for unsafe demolition operations elsewhere in the city, with seven documented instances of violating stop work orders. In one recent incident, an excavator was used without DOB approval at a site in Queens, while another project in Brooklyn involved demolition performed out of sequence and making the remaining structure unstable.
City officials are taking Eisenbach's actions as a wake-up call for the importance of strong enforcement in protecting public safety during construction projects. "Being careless with construction doesn't just break the law – it puts lives at risk," said City Councilmember Pierina Sanchez, chair of the housing and buildings committee. The agency's decisive action is seen as a strong message to contractors that such behavior will not be tolerated.
Construction can resume only once property owners hire new contractors. Eisenbach has not yet responded to requests for comment on the allegations against him.
. It's crazy that someone could ignore stop work orders multiple times and put people's lives at risk 
. The city should be praised for taking swift action against Eisenbach, but I'm also thinking about the property owners who are now left to find new contractors and deal with the delays 
. Maybe this is a wake-up call for everyone involved in construction to make sure safety comes first? 
after that partial building collapse in the Bronx . It's unbelievable some people are willing to take risks like that and put lives at risk 
. The DOB was right to suspend Eisenbach's licenses and revoke his permits - it's the least they could do considering all the other safety violations he ignored 
. I hope the city can use this as an opportunity to review their inspection processes and make sure this kind of incident never happens again 
Seriously though, it's crazy that a guy could keep doing this over multiple job sites without getting caught or shut down sooner. The DOB is really stepping up their game here 
. I mean, public safety shouldn't be an afterthought when you're working on construction projects – it should be the top priority 
. And yeah, seven documented instances of violating stop work orders? That's just unacceptable 
. I'm all for fair competition and business growth, but not at the expense of lives! It's crazy that it took a partial building collapse to get the DOB's attention