Capturing the Collapse: 21 Images After the Explosion in NYC

"Can you go to East Harlem to photograph an explosion?," an editor asked, not long after I arrived at our Midtown Manhattan office. A massive blast, believed to be due to a gas leak, had leveled two apartment buildings, killing three people and injuring scores more. The explosion, which could be felt from more than a mile away, blew out windows on surrounding buildings and sent debris tumbling down onto nearby streets.

I grabbed my photo gear and took off for East Harlem with a fellow colleague who was covering the collapse.

We took a cab up to 114th Street and Lexington Avenue and arrived around 10 a.m. — a half an hour after the buildings at 1646 Park Avenue had collapsed. Upon exiting the cab, we were hit with the smell of sulfur and smoke. At first it was hard to breathe, so I used a scarf to cover my mouth and filter the air. There were hundreds of people standing around, some taking photos with their phones, others talking with the media. Many appeared to live in the area. They stood around nervously, some with tears in their eyes. Read more...