AG Launches Inquiry After Queens Subway Flood Video Goes Viral

LONG ISLAND CITY, QUEENS — Attorney General Letitia James has launched an inquiry into construction work at a Queens subway station after a torrent of water nearly knocked a man into a moving train.

James is demanding two construction companies turn over documents relating to their work at the Court Square-23rd Street station in Long Island City after a video of the July 17 incident went viral.

The deluge broke through a plywood wall separating a residential development project from the station as thunderstorms pounded the city, according to MTA spokesman Shams Tarek.

James said the water appeared to be coming from an area of the platform that is part of that construction site, overseen by New Line Structures and Civetta Construction.

"This is an incredibly dangerous situation that easily could have resulted in the loss of a life, and we need answers," James said in a statement. "These companies are hired to improve conditions without jeopardizing public safety. Yet, I am deeply concerned that instead they may have created a treacherous environment for New Yorkers in this incident."

New York City Transit staff found the developer had removed utilities from the construction site and did not have a proper pumping system in place, leading to the buildup of rain water that overwhelmed the station, the MTA spokesman said.

The contractor agreed to put the pumping system back in, build a new wall and dam at the work site and place more personnel there during storms, the spokesman said.

"People were nearly killed due to the negligence of a private corporation which must be held to account," Senate Deputy Leader Michael Gianaris, who represents the neighborhood, said in a statement.

Wednesday's torrent came as powerful thunderstorms battered the city, knocking out power for hundreds of people in Astoria.

The MTA welcomed the Attorney General's investigation.

“This irresponsible action by the developer and contractor was unacceptable and avoidable and put lives at risk, we are outraged by it, and those responsible must be held accountable," the authority's chairman Patrick Foye said in a statement Friday.

"The developer and contractor have agreed, at the MTA’s insistence, to numerous measures at their expense to prevent this in the future, and we are adding additional oversight at their expense to their work abutting our station. I very much welcome this inquiry by Attorney General James which will help ensure that this doesn’t happen again.”

The rapids were an extreme example of the flooding that commonly hits subway stations during heavy rain.

Patch editor Noah Manskar contributed reporting.