First, their home was crushed when a construction crane collapsed and killed seven people.
Then, they say, they returned to the ruins of their East Side penthouse, only to learn it had been looted – with up to $30,000 in jewelry and keepsakes stolen.
That disheartening claim, by displaced roommates Jennifer Battistello and Eileen Hayes, is now under investigation by city officials.
Both women are grateful that no one was home on March 15, when the plummeting crane wiped out their 19th-floor apartment at 300 E. 51st St.
But they were outraged, they say, to discover that while they scrambled to find shelter with friends, someone had profited from their misfortune.
“You just hope that when disaster strikes, people would look out for each other,” said Battistello, an account executive at a New York clothing firm. “And they don’t.”
Five days passed before Hayes and Battistello could talk someone into letting them inside.
Until then, they had only seen glimpses of their home from aerial news footage.
Not surprisingly, much of the interior was a shambles. A crane had hit it, after all.
There were several items, including a dresser belonging to Hayes, that appeared untouched – until a closer inspection revealed their losses.
Battistello told cops that thieves walked away with between $20,000 and $30,000 worth of jewelry, including an antique diamond she received from her grandmother.
An official at the Department of Investigation said the agency is aware of the allegations but declined comment.
Battistello said she and Hayes are living with friends until they find a new place.
Meanwhile, the family of a construction worker killed in the crane collapse filed a notice of claim to sue the city for $30 million.
The notice alleges the city was negligent in allowing the unsafe conditions that let Clifford Canzona, 45, fall 18 stories from a tower he was working on at 303 E. 51st St.
“It was so bad they couldn’t have an open casket.” said Alan Liebowitz, a lawyer for the family.
In addition to the notice of claim, the first step toward filing a lawsuit, Canzona’s family is demanding the city preserve any evidence it seizes from the site.