A retaining wall collapsed in Crown Heights on Friday morning, crushing three cars and nearly flattening a cat.
The 20-foot high retaining wall, and the rear ends of two garages, toppled down onto the driveway of a neighboring house on May 2, to the delight of some kids who saw the whole thing.
“I woke up to my kids screaming and a car horn blaring,” said a resident of the building that one of the garages belongs to. “They were actually very excited.”
About 75 firefighters, along with police, responded to the scary incident on Carroll Street between Schenectady and Utica avenues at 7 am. Rubble from the garage and the wall tumbled down onto the driveway of a Crown Street building which abuts the property from behind, at the bottom of the wall.
No people were injured, but a frisky feline was stuck under some debris and could be heard crying for help. The neighbor, along with a member of the Crown Heights Shomrim, spotted the kitty from an adjacent roof and pointed it out to firefighters.
“You could hear it, but you couldn’t see it,” the resident said. “But standing on the roof we spotted it.”
The mouser bounded away immediately upon being freed.
“I’m very impressed they took the time to save the cat,” the neighbor said.
Area residents believe the collapse could have been caused by the heavy rains on Thursday night, which they say may have softened the soil holding up the garages and the wall.
City investigators are still looking into what triggered the deluge of concrete.
The dad is just relieved no one got hurt.
“I’m not even concerned about my belongings,” he said, referring to the stroller, barbecue, and bikes he stored in the garage. “They just don’t seem very important right now.”
