Worker Killed at Bruce Eichner’s Murray Hill Site

A construction worker was killed in an accident at the site of a Bruce Eichner condominium project on Friday.

The 45-year-old unidentified victim was on a cherry picker at 34 East 35th Street around 9:15 a.m. when it collided with a steel beam, Crain’s reported. The worker was pronounced dead at the scene, while a 35-year-old worker was transported to the hospital with minor injuries, according to the police.

The demolition work drew scrutiny from neighbors, who complained about alleged unsafe practices, such as a shaking building and widespread debris. An emergency team from the Department of Buildings visited the site late last month, but did not issue a violation.

Inspectors from the Buildings Department are investigating the incident. Continuum did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Eichner’s Continuum Company is redeveloping a project at 40 East 35th Street, the site of the Community Church of New York. A sale for the church and four adjacent parcels closed last month, three years after Eichner agreed to a $70 million deal; demolition permits were issued earlier in the year.

Eichner proposed an 18-story, 137-unit luxury condo, spanning 173,000 square feet. The development is also expected to include ground-floor commercial space and a 17-car garage.

The project is scheduled to be completed in mid 2027. Prices for the condo units are expected to start at $1.5 million, though that may change as Eichner feels out the market.

Fatalities at construction sites last year fell by 36 percent, according to an annual report from the Department of Buildings. The seven deaths were a nine-year low.

As of last year, injuries on construction sites were up 38 percent in the prior three years as activity resumed following a pandemic-induced lull.

— Holden Walter-Warner