2:15 PM, Wednesday

The afternoon was routine. Workers from Precast Services Inc., an Ohio-based subcontractor, were installing precast concrete floor decking and roof segments on a seven-level parking garage at 30th Street and Grays Ferry Avenue. The structure was being built for the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

At approximately 2:15 PM, a precast concrete roof segment in the stairwell tower failed, fell to the level below, and triggered a progressive collapse that cascaded through all seven levels until the entire corner tower had folded in on itself.

"After placement, a precast roof segment failed and fell to the level below, triggering a progressive collapse of connected sections across all seven levels."

Mayor Cherelle L. Parker

The collapse was captured on video. It shows the structure crumbling in seconds, sending a cloud of dust over the neighborhood. A breaking alert went out within minutes as first responders arrived on scene.

The Workers

Three members of Ironworkers Union Local 401 were killed:

Name Status
Stepan Shevchuk Pulled from rubble. Pronounced dead at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center later that afternoon.
Matthew Kane Trapped in rubble. Body recovered early Monday, April 13.
Mark Scott Jr. Trapped in rubble. Body recovered early Monday, April 13.

Two other workers were rescued and treated at nearby hospitals.

The Ironworkers Union described the tragedy as "unthinkable" and pledged to recover the missing workers "with the greatest amount of dignity and respect humanly possible."

The Rescue That Became a Recovery

Immediately after the collapse, the Philadelphia Fire Department deployed specialized urban search and rescue teams, robots, drones, and detection canines. But the structure was so unstable that rescuers couldn't safely enter.

"We have to very carefully and methodically deconstruct this building for the safety of the people working on it."

Fire Commissioner Jeffrey W. Thompson

By Wednesday evening, there had been no contact with the two trapped workers. On Thursday, April 9, four FEMA-certified search dogs were deployed. None indicated signs of life. The operation shifted from rescue to recovery.

Mayor Parker confirmed that evening that the two missing workers were presumed dead.

The Demolition

Engineers determined the remaining structure was "extremely weakened and could collapse at any moment." Deconstruction was ruled too dangerous. The decision was made to demolish.

On Friday, April 10, crews spent the entire day assembling a demolition crane. A Local 401 union flag was attached to the crane as a tribute from the ironworkers' brotherhood.

On Saturday, April 11, demolition began at first light. A wrecking ball started swinging at the structure, sending dust and concrete chunks flying. The goal: demolish down to a level safe for firefighters to enter and recover the remains by hand.

The city's Office of Emergency Management warned neighbors to expect noise and recommended keeping windows closed. FOX29 documented the demolition as it unfolded.

What Failed

Precast concrete is a common construction method for parking garages and bridges. Slabs are manufactured off-site, transported, and assembled on-site using cranes. Individual segments, such as double tee beams, routinely weigh 25 tons or more depending on their span and configuration.

The method is standard and considered safe. But it introduces multiple potential failure points:

"Starting from the manufacturer to the transportation to the lifting of these heavy elements, to the connections themselves, to the fact that the structure is unstable while you're building it, there are many, many opportunities here for errors."

Prof. Abieyuwa Aghayere, Drexel University, structural engineering

"Catastrophic construction collapses do not happen without failures in either design, casting, or connection."

Andrew Duffy, catastrophic-injury attorney, Saltz Mongeluzzi Bendesky

The Precedent: Tropicana, 2003

This is not the first time a precast concrete parking garage has collapsed during construction.

On October 30, 2003, a parking garage under construction at the Tropicana Casino in Atlantic City partially collapsed when five levels of an exterior bay came down, killing four workers and injuring twenty.

The cause: inadequate temporary supports and improperly anchored steel reinforcements. The subcontractor, Fabi Construction, was cited by OSHA as a repeat offender with a history of safety violations.

The resulting settlement: $101 million across 36 plaintiffs, described at the time as the largest construction-accident settlement in the nation.

Same construction method. Same failure pattern. Twenty-three years apart.

Philadelphia's Grim Record

Philadelphia has been here before. In June 2013, a building under demolition collapsed onto a Salvation Army Thrift Store at 22nd and Market Streets. Seven people were killed. Fourteen were injured. The contractor received 15–30 years in prison. The settlement was $227 million (the largest personal injury payout in Pennsylvania history).

WHYY has reported on an uptick in building collapses caused by illegal construction in the city. The L&I commissioner attributed the trend to "cowboy contractors." Over 20 construction workers have been killed on Philadelphia job sites in just the last three years.

Five Days

At 2:17 PM on Wednesday, April 8, a precast concrete roof segment failed on the seventh level of the parking garage under construction at 30th and Grays Ferry Avenue. It fell through every level of the stairwell tower, triggering a progressive collapse.

Three ironworkers from Local 401 were inside.

Stepan Shevchuk, 26, was pulled from the debris that afternoon. He was taken to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, where he died. A GoFundMe set up after his death describes him as a hardworking and cheerful man who came to the United States from Ukraine 11 years ago.

Matthew Kane and Mark Scott Jr. were still in the wreckage. The Philadelphia Fire Department's first responders ran into the collapsing structure as a search and rescue mission. They pulled Shevchuk out. But within hours, search and rescue became recovery.

For five days, the city worked to reach Kane and Scott. The main obstacle was the structure itself. What remained of the garage had to come down before anyone could safely enter the debris field. Controlled demolition began Friday and continued through the weekend.

Recovery operations started at 9 PM on Sunday, April 12. Crews from the Fire Department's Special Operations Command focused on the stairwell, a unique architectural feature where they believed the two men were located. They used specialized rescue tools to delayer the rubble piece by piece. At some point, they switched to shovels, buckets, and their hands. A human remains detection K-9 assisted with locating the bodies.

Both men were recovered in the early hours of Monday morning. The city's Office of Emergency Management confirmed the recovery and announced a neighborhood food giveaway for impacted residents.

At a press conference that morning, Mayor Cherelle Parker said: "Our first responders have recovered both individuals with the utmost dignity and compassion and respect for their families and loved ones."

Fire Commissioner Jeff Thompson described the five days of work: "What began on Wednesday when we had a collapse of a garage under construction, fire department approached as a search and rescue mission. My members ran into that building with the intent of rescuing anyone that might be in there."

Before the ambulances left the site, ironworkers from Local 401 were allowed to go back to where their brothers had been found. When asked why, Parker said: "I am unapologetic about the fact that we were going to do everything that we could to ensure that we recovered those souls with dignity and respect. So those families could begin the healing process."

Kane's cousin, Brian Forstater, called him a "good father, good person," an "extraordinary father" to his two children, and a "proud Philadelphian." Scott's family has declined to comment publicly.

Mayor Parker directed flags on all city-owned buildings to be lowered to half-staff until sunset on April 17.

All three men were members of Ironworkers Local 401, led by Kevin Boyle, and the Philadelphia Building and Construction Trades, led by Ryan Boyer.

Sources: Philadelphia Inquirer, WHYY, NBC10, 6ABC, CBS Philadelphia, OSHA. Full source list.

The Investigation

OSHA is leading the investigation, with personnel on-site conducting interviews and reviewing construction records. Key questions include:

The Philadelphia DA's Office is also preserving evidence at the site.

Experts estimate the investigation could take six months or more due to existing OSHA backlogs. Any citations, violations, or written reports will be made public.

"We are going to get to the damn bottom of what happened."

Mayor Cherelle L. Parker

Support

For the Families

Stepan Shevchuk's partner, Nastassia Sharanhovich: Stepan and Nastassia were together for 9 years. He came from Ukraine 11 years ago. A GoFundMe organized by Sibylla Benatova is raising funds for Nastassia.

Scott's family has asked for privacy. If the union or families publish official fundraisers for Kane or Scott, we will add them here.

For the Community and the Fight

City Resources for Impacted Residents