A father and son were nearly killed after an air compressor exploded causing an auto body shop to collapse, trapping the men inside, authorities said.
The victims were inside B and L auto body shop on Westchester and Cooper Avenues around 7:45 a.m. when the compressor exploded and the walls crumbled. The victims were trapped by mounds of debris but a group of Good Samaritans jumped in to help, witnesses said.
“I saw them in the hole,” said Doroteo Sanchez, 51, a day laborer said.
Sanchez tried removing some of the rubble with six other men but was afraid he would cause more damage than good.
Minutes later, responding firefighters took over the rescue and pulled the men out safely.
“It was some pretty manually intensive work we needed to do to get the victims out,” said William Seelig, FDNY Chief of Special Operations.
“The son was laying down, his leg was busted, there was blood all over his face. He looked like he was badly hurt,” Sanchez added.
The duo was taken to Jacobi Medical Center in serious but stable condition.
“It’s a big miracle they’re okay because the whole building is on the ground,” added Sanchez.