NYC construction workers cleared of charges in near-fatal crane collapse

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Two New York City construction bosses accused of recklessly using a crane that toppled over in a near-fatal accident at a Manhattan job site were acquitted by a Manhattan Supreme Court judge Thursday.

Timothy Braico, 46, and Terrence Edwards, 44, dodged second-degree assault and reckless endangerment charges in the eight-month long trial for the June 25, 2018 crane collapse at a luxury residential building in Harlem.

The case was argued at a non-jury trial before Judge Maxwell Wiley after nearly five years of pretrial litigation that followed the pair’s November 2018 indictment by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.

“We are grateful that justice was done and wish that Mr. Braico didn’t have to wait five years to be vindicated,” Dan Horwitz, Braico’s defense attorney, said in a statement.

Prosecutors argued that Braico, a senior branch manager, rented a Jekko mini crane without ensuring that it was properly set up, while having untrained workers use the equipment.

Edwards, a site supervisor, had allegedly instructed an untrained worker to use the crane — causing it to topple over, sending a heavy glass panel crashing to the ground on the day of the incident, prosecutors have said.

Dramatic video of the crash showed the boom strike two ironworkers on the third floor of the construction site on East 126th Street.

One of the workers suffered severe head trauma and the other’s mobility was impaired due to his injuries.

Defense attorneys had accused the DA’s Office of withholding evidence that involved disgraced former Assistant District Attorney Diana Florence, who testified in the case.

Florence, a former head of the office’s Construction Fraud Task Force, resigned amid allegations that she withheld evidence in several other major cases in 2020.

The one-time Manhattan DA hopeful was accused of devising a “scheme” to have a summons dismissed against crane operator Steven Lewis, whom the defense accused of mishandling the equipment at the time of the accident.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said he was disappointed with the outcome with the case — but that he maintains his fight to protect New Yorkers and keep companies accountable.

“My office is committed to protecting New York workers and we will continue to collaborate with our partners to hold companies and managers accountable for their safety,” Bragg said in a statement Thursday.

“While we are disappointed, we sincerely thank our prosecutors for their work and the judge for his consideration.”

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