Parking Garage Demolition Delayed

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -- Officials have delayed until Monday demolition of a concrete wall left standing after a parking garage under construction at Tropicana Casino and Resort collapsed, killing four people.

Demolition work began Friday after the body of the last victim, an ironworker, was pulled from the rubble of Thursday's collapse. But Robert Levy, the city's director of emergency management for the city, said Saturday the work had been stopped and rescheduled for Monday, when crews would bore holes in sections of the wall and thread cables through them.

Those sections would then be cut free and lowered to the ground, Levy said.

On Friday, engineers used heavy-duty equipment to break apart the wall, which was 100 feet tall and 33 feet wide. Fearing the wall could tip over and topple a 300-foot tall construction crane, authorities evacuated a nearby condominium complex and a landmark tavern.

On Saturday, the 162 residents of Brighton Towers were allowed to return to their homes.

The collapse happened late Thursday morning when the top five floors of the 10-floor structure gave way without warning, killing Michael M. Wittland, 54, of Pleasantville; James P. Bigelow, 29, of Egg Harbor Township; Robert A. Tartaglio, 42, of Galloway Township; and Scott N. Pietrosante, 21, of Milmay. At least 21 workers were injured.

Ten of the injured remained at Atlantic City Medical Center on Saturday, including two who were in critical condition. One patient was released from the medical center on Saturday. Shore Memorial Hospital had one patient in fair condition.

Investigators will examine whether poured concrete was allowed to sufficiently settle before masons moved on to the next floor of the 2,400-space garage, said Gary Roskoski, area director for the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

"I know everybody wants to know the cause. We all do. That's what we're here to investigate," Roskoski said.

By law, OSHA has six months to file a report on the accident.

Investigators have interviewed a woman who said she heard popping and wailing coming from the garage Sunday but was brushed off when she told a security guard. Roskoski wouldn't say how much credence OSHA placed in the account given by Stacey Strasky, 40, of Voorhees.

Workers, some of whom said the casino hastened to complete the garage, also will be interviewed, Roskoski said.

Laborer Mike Shaughnessy, 49, of Galloway Township, said more workers were added to the job about a month ago, accelerating the pace of work.

"It was taking three weeks to do a floor and now it's taking a week," said Shaughnessy, who was on the top floor when the building fell.

In prepared statements, general contractor Keating Building Corp., said people with no expertise were "speculating wildly."

"At this point speculation only disrupts the information-gathering process," one statement said. "It is a distraction to the work being done, and it's disrespectful to the families of those involved."

The company said it was helping affected workers and their families.

Officials from Fabi Construction could not be reached for comment. Calls to their Egg Harbor Township office went unanswered on Saturday.

But Liz Daley, a contract administrator for Fabi who spoke to The New York Times, did not dispute there was pressure to be on schedule.

"Remember last winter, remember how much snow we had in Atlantic City? The project was delayed, and of course you want to make up time and meet an owner's schedule," Daley told the Times for Saturday's editions.

Paul E. Rubeli, chairman and CEO of Tropicana parent company Aztar Corp., also promised to seek out the cause of the collapse.

"We don't know now and don't know when we'll know," Rubeli said. "We don't have the answers."

The casino remained open Thursday, but a 604-room hotel tower evacuated after the collapse remained closed. It was not clear how long the tower would remain closed. A phone message left with Tropicana on Saturday by The Associated Press was not immediately returned.

A 10-block square area around Tropicana that had been closed to traffic was partially reopened on Saturday. Officials kept Pacific Avenue, which lies closest to the collapsed structure, closed, while reopening two lanes of Atlantic Avenue. The two roads are the city's main north-south arteries.

Copyright 2003 by NBC 10. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Author: NBC10