Veteran manager of NYC garage was killed and trapped on second floor after building collapsed on him

A veteran building manager has been identified as the man who was killed after a lower Manhattan garage collapsed.

Willis Moore, 59, was working in the building when it collapsed on Ann Street in the Financial District on Tuesday at 4pm - injuring five others.

Terrifying footage captured cars on a lower level being crushed after the upper floor collapsed and vehicles fell through the 'pancaked' broken concrete.

Colleagues of Moore have paid tribute to him as a 'great guy' who always took care of his employees.

He was on the second floor when the building collapsed on top of him and was reportedly heading home after the end of his shift.

Willis Moore, 59, was working in the building when it collapsed on Ann Street in the Financial District on Tuesday at 4pm

Terrifying footage captured cars on a lower level being crushed after the upper floor collapsed and vehicles fell through the 'pancaked' broken concrete

A former colleague at Central Parking Systems told the Daily News that they were 'so shocked' by the incident.

Kam Wooden, 53, said: 'He was a great guy.He was a great co-worker and he took care of his employees — always put them first ... I was just so shocked.

'He was a joker, he was a comedian. He always made us smile and laugh. Very professional, too. He definitely will be missed.' 

A family member of the victim said they were 'dealing with a lot of grief' but declined to comment further.

Authorities confirmed that his body has not yet been recovered from the wreckage as it is deemed too unsafe for law enforcement to enter.

Customer Adam Cohen said: 'He was the general manager for the garage for over 10 years. That was our relationship. 

'Sadly, we can't say we went out and had beers or anything. He was a really nice guy and had a lot of good energy.' 

The horror incident left a fleet of vehicles piled on top of one another, causing a huge emergency response at the site near Wall Street at 4.15pm.

New York City's Department of Buildings confirmed that there are four open property violations relating to the garage in Lower Manhattan

Friends described the manager as a 'comedian' who loved his job and was a 'great boss' to his staff

New York City's Department of Buildings confirmed that there are four open property violations relating to the garage in Lower Manhattan.

An open complaint in 2013 saw the company fail to maintain the building after there was no exit at a signposted fire exit – with all the doors locked.

The company listed on the complaint, Enterprise Ann Parking LL, was given a $1,200 fine after being found in violation in 2014.

In 2009 they were found to have broken and defective fire stairs, as well as a 'loose piece of concrete in danger of falling' in several locations.

The respondent, named as Ann Park LLC, was fined $200 and found to be in violation in 2010, but nothing was ultimately resolved.

Two complaints in 2003 remain open, with one referring to exit lighting not working, as well as exit signs not 'properly illuminating'.

There have been 64 violations in total since the building opened in 1957, with the complaints dating back to 1976

The building was built in 1925 and received its certificate of occupancy in 1957 for automobile parking

One resident who lives near Financial District parking garage described hearing 'big bangs' before the wall came down, leaving a hole in her apartment

The other part of the issue was gain to 'fix concrete', as well as 'missing concrete covering steel beams' and 'defective concrete with exposed rear cracks.'

57 Ann St Realty Association was fined a total of $1,150 on that occasion, but it does not appear that anything was resolved.

There have been 64 violations in total since the building opened in 1957, with the complaints dating back to 1976.

However, there are still two open DOB violations regarding the elevator in the property, which was issued in 2014. 

Three of the complaints were marked as Category One or hazardous issue, meaning that they have to be corrected immediately.

NYC passed a law in 2022 requiring owners of parking structures to have their garages inspected every six years, and to file a report with inspection results to the Department of Buildings.

The building and several streets remain closed after the collapse which killed one and injured four others

The respondent, named as Ann Park LLC, was fined $200 and found to be in violation in 2010, but nothing was ultimately resolved

The Manhattan garage was part of the first two-year inspection cycle , January 2022 to December 2023, meaning that they were not out of compliance – but the law was created too late to catch the problems.

It was built in 1925 and received its certificate of occupancy in 1957 for automobile parking. 

A city record from 2010 shows 34 new auto lifts were installed on the property, which would have 'added to the weight' of the building. 

New York City Mayor Eric Adams told the media that a robotic dog, which is also known as a Digidog, was needed to go into the building when officials arrived on the scene because the collapsed building was unstable. 

Investigations into the cause of the collapse are on-going. 

Footage of the collapse, which was shot on a Ring surveillance camera, shows the vehicles inside in the dark become quickly submerged by falling concrete. 

Numerous vehicles were seen crashing through the openings as the collapse caused significant damage. 

Witnesses described a woman screaming 'get out!' as the structure caved in, and images showed the top floor fallen through with vehicles stacked on broken concrete.

Several New York residents who live near the building told DailyMail.com the structure was known to be old, saying the tragedy was 'not surprising'.