A Body Elite gym in Brooklyn collapsed, witnesses said it felt like a 'small earthquake'

• An Elite Body Gym in Brooklyn collapsed on Wednesday. 
• FDNY said only one person suffered minor injuries and was treated on the scene. 
• Witnesses of the collapse told The New York Times that the collapse felt like a "small earthquake."
• Since 2005, the owner of the property received 8 fines for cracks and bulging on the building.
• The owner of the gym told The Times that he was told the bulging was a cosmetic issue.  
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

A three-story building in Brooklyn collapsed on Wednesday and residents were asked to avoid the area, according to The New York Police Department.

NYPD, the Fire Department, and the Department of Buildings responded to the scene. 

"DOB engineers and inspectors are on scene investigating the building collapse in Brooklyn. Our investigation is ongoing," A DOB spokesperson told Insider. 

An NYPD spokesperson confirmed to Insider that the building was an Elite Body Gym in the Carroll Gardens neighborhood. 

No major injuries were reported. In a tweet, NYC Council Member Brad Lander said the building was closed for construction, and subject to a stop-work order. 

"One person was inside, but he got out with only minor injuries before the building collapsed," Lander said. 

An FDNY spokesperson confirmed to Insider that one person was being treated for minor injuries at the scene. 

According to Telegraph reporter Josie Ensor, the building had been "bulging for weeks."

NYPD did not give an official cause of the collapse.

An employee at the nearby Enoteca restaurant told Insider that stores in the vicinity were instructed to close down. 

Witnesses of the collapse told The New York Times that the collapse felt like a "small earthquake."

"I'm just shaking like crazy," Robert Alimena, the owner of Body Elite Gym told The Times.

Alimena added that he was glad the gym was closed when the building came down.

"The building is so thick, like five or six bricks thick, so I cannot imagine what would actually trigger this chain reaction," he said. 

Gothamist reported that in October 2019, Union & Court Realty Corp, the building's owners, were issued a violation. According to DOB records, the violation was for failing to maintain the building and that there were noticeable structural cracks and bulging on the exterior masonry walls. The owners paid a $3,155 fine. 

The Times reported that in total, the building's owner have received eight fines since 2005 by inspectors from the DOB for large cracks on the property, which also included a "40-foot bulge" on one of the walls. 

Additionally, according to Gothamist, on June 10 a partial stop-work order was issued because a brick wall was  "dangerously bulging over public sidewalk." 

According to The Times, the owners have yet to pay the $5,000 fine for the violation made on June 10. 

Alimena told The Times that he and property owner Kihyo Park began to repair the cracks and bulge on the building and said he was told that the bulge "was a cosmetic issue that did not require extensive repairs."

"It was supposed to be routine exterior work,"  Alimena told The Times. 

A DOB spokesperson said a full demolition of the remaining structure was ordered and a construction fence was put around the property. 

"Our structural engineers have determined that the debris pile is not in danger of further collapse at this time, however we are currently monitoring the stability of the south wall of the building that did not collapse as part of the full demolition," the spokesperson said. 

He added that DOB "issued a Full Vacate Order to the neighboring commercial building" until the site where the building collapsed is safe again. 

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