An aluminum-covered plywood panel broke away from the façade of a commercial building in the busy shopping district in Flushing, Queens, on Thursday and fell onto a pedestrian below, killing her, officials said.
Police officers, firefighters, and emergency medical personnel responded to 41-28 Main Street just before 10 a.m. and discovered the wounded pedestrian, who was unconscious and unresponsive. EMS brought the woman to New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Queens where she died, police said.
The NYPD identified the woman as Xiang Ji, 67, of Westbury, New York.
Forensic engineers and inspectors from the Department of Buildings responded to the site and ordered the property owners to "immediately erect a sidewalk shed around the building," the department said in an email to FOX 5 NY.