Glass panel falls, kills worker at skyscraper site

New York City has issued a stop work order at the construction site of one of Manhattan’s tallest skyscrapers after a large glass panel fell, killing a security guard and injuring a construction worker.

The city’s Department of Buildings said work was banned and a violation issued for failing to safeguard the site after the 10:30 a.m. emergency Saturday at the West 57th Street site, a half block from Carnegie Hall.

Police say 67-year-old security guard Harry Ramnauth was killed, and a 27-year-old construction worker was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. Inspectors say an 8-foot-by-14-foot glass panel tipped over as it was being moved.

The building developer’s office didn’t immediately comment.

A 1,550-foot (472-meter) tower is planned at 217 W. 57th St. For comparison, One World Trade Center is 1,776 feet (541 metres).