The Brooklyn building that collapsed and killed eight people is owned by a notorious slumlord who once went to jail for ignoring housing violations.
Olufemi Falade has landed on the NYC public advocate’s annual Worst Landlords Watchlist six times.
Falade is the owner of 1321 Flatbush Avenue, which suddenly collapsed on Wednesday while construction crews were working on an adjacent lot, killing eight residents.
City records, viewed by the New York Post, show that Falade has racked up hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines in New York, including $170,000 from the Buildings Department in 2019 for improperly displaying signs.
He also collected nearly $115,000 in unpaid water bills over the years and has owed $113,500 in property taxes since 2021, the New York Post reported.
He also owes more than $50,000 in personal income taxes to the state and federal government, The Post said.
In 2006, Falade was sentenced to 12 days in jail and fined $50,000 for civil contempt after he failed to fix more than 1,800 violations, which included vermin infestation and leaking pipes. The violations were across 12 buildings he owned in Brooklyn, the Post reported.
At the time, he was one of the few landlords who faced jail time for bad behavior.
Olufemi Falade owns the building that collapsed on Wednesday. He has landed on the NYC public advocate’s annual Worst Landlords Watchlist six times
City records, viewed by the New York Post, that Falade has racked up hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines from the Big Apple, including $170,000 for the Buildings Department in 2019 for improperly displaying signs, among others fines. Pictured: the collapsed building
The building that collapsed had 98 violations against it before it crumbled, including a leaky roof and bedbugs, records showed.
The roof has been leaking since 1976, records showed. Falade bought the property in 1999.
In order to avoid fines, he transferred the building’s deed from Femi Realty Corp to Isolag Realty Corp for $0 in 2024, the Post reported.
The cause of Wednesday’s collapse is still being investigated.
City Councilwoman Farah Louis, who represents that part of Brooklyn, is calling for a full investigation, stating: ‘A building does not simply collapse in the middle of a residential neighborhood without warning signs or systemic failures.’
‘I am demanding a full investigation of 2625 Bedford Avenue’s structural inspection records, active permits, open violations, and landlord maintenance history,’ she said, according to the NY Daily News.
‘If negligence or ignored safety complaints contributed to this fatal collapse – where children, pregnant women, and elderly New Yorkers were put in harm’s way – those responsible must be held fully accountable under the law.’
The Daily Mail has reached out to Falade for comment.
José Luis Caguana, 26, is among the eight victims who died on Wednesday
Officials confirmed that eight people lost their lives after a three-story building in Flatbush, Brooklyn, crumbled on Wednesday evening, and search efforts are still underway.
The youngest victims have been identified as Nicole Daniela Rodriguez, nine, and Kevin Santiago Reyes Gonzalez, 10, according to The New York Times. They were elementary school students and cousins.
Gabriel Siguencia, 22; Mamadu Barry, 23; Edgar Santiago Sapón Gutierrez, 26; José Luis Caguana, 26; and Juan Daniel Salvada Guzman, 31, were also killed.
A 35-year-old unidentified man also died in the collapse, the outlet reported.
Another 18 people were injured, with one of them in critical condition, Mayor Zohran Mamdani said. Four of the injured are firefighters, he added.
Mamdani has also revealed that two of the six adults were construction workers who were on site when the structure collapsed.
