Tourists and New Yorkers face uncertainty after Manhattan high-rise scare

(8 Jul 2026) RESTRICTION SUMMARY: ASSOCIATED PRESS New York - 8 July 2026 1. Sally Grant and friend Margaret Clark unable to get to Hampton Inn to retrieve belongings, including passports 2. SOUNDBITE (English) Sally Grant, Visitor from Scotland: ++PARTLY COVERED++ “So we were evacuated from a hotel yesterday with all of our stuff inside, passports, belongings, weren't allowed back in and medication and no one would help us and we were on the streets all night. Not safe at all. We did not feel safe at all.” 3. Grant and Clark walking 4. SOUNDBITE (English) Margaret Clark, Visitor from Scotland: ++PARTLY COVERED++ “People's safety, we don't blame them, but they could have given us five minutes to grab our belongings, you know, instead of just saying everybody out, everybody out and we've been left with nothing. We slept in the streets last night.” 5. Wide of street closed 6. Various of workers at location in building where columns buckled 7. SOUNDBITE (English) Margaret Clark, Visitor from Scotland: ++PARTLY COVERED++ “Bon Jovi came to see Madison Square Garden, I didn't enjoy it. I've seen them 31 times but my heart wasn't in it, I don't enjoy them. We come all the way from Scotland for Bon Jovi and really didn't enjoyed the gig. 31 times I've see them live and yeah. We saved two years for two years for this holiday. Two years, because I watched this girl for her birthday, for her 40th birthday, and it's been a nightmare.” 8. Tilt up on former Pfizer building where columns buckled STORYLINE: People forced from hotels, homes and businesses near a Manhattan high-rise feared to be at risk of collapse described a night of uncertainty after being told to evacuate with little time to collect their belongings. Among those affected were two visitors from Scotland who said they spent the night on the streets after being forced to leave their hotel without passports, medication or luggage, jeopardizing their flight home. Other residents and workers described disrupted plans, missed appointments and frustration as a large section of Midtown remained under evacuation orders. Officials later announced that the under-construction tower had been stabilized after columns buckled, allowing some nearby buildings to reopen. The New York City Department of Buildings said the structure had shown no further movement since monitoring began Tuesday. The building, the former Pfizer headquarters, is being converted into luxury apartments as part of the city's largest office-to-residential conversion project, with more than 1,600 planned units. (AP Video: Ted Shaffrey) =========================================================== Clients are reminded to adhere to all listed restrictions and to check the terms of their licence agreements. For further assistance, please contact the AP Archive on: Tel +44(0)2074827482 Email: [email protected]. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...