By Gabriel Rom
A crane owned and operated by two companies based in Queens crashed in Lower Manhattan Friday morning, killing a 38-year-old man, and seriously injuring four others, police said.
The crane crashed onto Worth Street near Church Street, raining down debris and stretching across a full city block.
The mayor’s press office said Friday afternoon the crane was owned by Bay Crane of Long Island City and operated by Galasso Trucking and Rigging Inc. of Maspeth. Neither company could be reached for comment.
A 45-year-old woman and a 73-year-old man were among the injured, police said.
The crane had been operating on 60 Hudson St. to replace generators and air conditioners on the building roof.
According to the mayor, the crane was inspected at 6:20 a.m. Thursday by the city Department of Buildings in preparation for its next phase of work and found to be in full compliance.
The Fire Department deployed over 140 firefighters and EMS from more than 40 units to the site and a full Department of Buildings inspection is underway, the mayor added.
Bay Crane has been in operation for 75 years, according to its website, and calls itself “New York’s leader in crane rental and specialized transportation solutions”.
Reach reporter Gabriel Rom by e-mail at grom@
