Contractor: Building Owner Was on Site at Time of Collapse

Both a lawsuit and the contractor charged with six murders in the Hoagie City building collapse say building owner Richard Basciano was there when it fell.

The owner of the former Hoagie City building at 22nd and Market was on site when it collapsed last year onto an adjacent Salvation Army store and killed six people, a building contractor charged with murder in the incident says.

A lawyer for the contractor, Griffin Campbell, told Philly.com owner Richard Basciano was on site with his wife Lois when the collapse happened, but left immediately after.

“As the building actually fell, Richard Basciano was standing next to my client,” Campbell’s attorney, William Hobson, told the site. “That’s reflected in statements given to Philadelphia police detectives and the OSHA investigator.

Campbell’s account matches up with that in a lawsuit filed on behalf of 22 plaintiffs, including the estates of six killed in the collapse.

Basciano, who has a condo in Symphony House, has been silent since the collapse of the building. His company did release one statement: “Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers go out to the people affected by this tragic event. Please know that we are committed to working with the City of Philadelphia and other authorities to determine what happened.”

[Philly.com]