April 16, 2026
CHRIS LACHALL/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Following the collapse of a parking garage in Grays Ferry that left three dead, City Council will form a committee to look into the incident. On Monday, Mayor Cherelle Parker's office announced plans for an additional investigation.
Philadelphia City Council will launch its own investigation into the recent collapse of a Children's Hospital of Philadelphia parking garage in Grays Ferry, which left three workers dead.
The governing body approved a resolution Thursday calling for the creation of a special committee on construction practices in the city. Council President Kenyatta Johnson, who introduced the legislation, said it will be made up of both council members and stakeholders. The panel review the incident and form policy recommendations to prevent future accidents.
The seven-story garage collapsed on the afternoon of April 8 after a precast concrete roof segment failed and fell through all levels of a stairwell tower. The project was being built for employee parking.
Three workers were immediately pulled from the wreckage after the building crumbled, including one who died at a nearby hospital. The bodies of two additional workers were recovered early Monday morning after crews began demolition. The structure's instability stalled the recovery process.
Following that development, Mayor Cherelle Parker signed an executive order calling for an investigation from the city solicitor and the law department. The directive said the city must retain an independent consultant and additional experts to determine a cause of the collapse and release a public report on it within 180 days. Following the publication, officials must then form a special committee to review findings and make recommendations for inspecting, monitoring and licensing future projects.
Johnson said he plans to collaborate with the mayor's administration, but that this will be a separate look into the collapse. He said he supports the mayor's plans to investigate, but as an independent body, City Council has a right to perform its own deep dive into the incident. However, he said he will be working collaboratively with the administration.
"It's no secret I support the mayor and her team, we'll try to see how we can be collaborative, but at the end of the day, we are an independent body," Johnson said. "You have members in there who have questions regarding this particular process who are very, very concerned about what actually happened."
So far, there are no details on what questions the committee plans to answer or a timeline for its establishment.
