Scaffold breaks free, smashes windows at Midtown supertall

Scaffold broke free from the 55th floor of a Midtown supertall and smashed into a nearby window Monday night, said the NYPD.

The dangling construction equipment on 111 West 57th Street rained glass on the streets below just after 8 p.m., according to an NYPD spokesperson. Police shuttered Sixth Avenue between 57th and 58th streets and a stretch of 58th Street between Sixth and Seventh avenues after the scaffold unfastened from the SHoP Architects-designed building, authorities said.

The builders behind the project said rough weather caused the scaffold, which was being used to install glass and masonry curtain wall for the building, to go rogue.

“Due to high winds on Monday evening, a suspended scaffold became loose and had to be secured,” said a spokesperson for the building. “Construction crews were on site promptly to secure the material and prevent any damage and there were no injuries. “

A city buildings inspector issued a partial stop work order for work above the 17th floor and slapped the site with a violation for failure to safeguard, said Abigail Kunitz, a Department of Buildings spokesperson.

An investigation into the incident is ongoing, the department said.

The building—developed by JDS Development, Property Markets Group, and Spruce Capital Partners—is expected to top out this month at a towering 1,428 feet. The development team officially launched sales at the city’s skinniest supertall in September after quietly marketing the pricey units.

Amenities in the high-end building include a private porte cochere, a 82-foot pool, fitness center, dining room, and a team of concierges attending to tenants’ every whim.

The building has risen atop the landmarked Steinway Hall, which will serve as the entryway for the development. Condos in that portion of the project will begin closings in 2019, with closings for condos in the new tower following in 2020.