Construction workers Brad Cohen, Aaron Stephens, Anthony Mazza, and Wayne Bleinder were killed in the accident. Police also recently revealed that two construction workers at the site, but officials have no yet publicly identified the bodies.

In a press conference, Mayor Michael Bloomberg called the collapse one of the worst construction accidents in the city's history. He acknowledged the danger of high-rise construction, but said residents near cranes were generally safe, citing that "this is a rare occurrence."

City officials say the broken crane passed inspection by the Buildings Department on Friday, however the Saturday event raised concerns about city inspections. In response to the accident, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer is calling on the city to create a new inspection strategy to tighten its oversight of construction projects. "In every walk of life, in business or in government, when a strategy isn't working, it has to be changed," said Stringer during a press conference Sunday afternoon. "It's clear that the current Buildings Department construction safety oversight protocol is not working, and we can't keep going on like this. Important as new construction is to our city's economy and its future, residents and workers cannot continue to be put in harm's way."