April 10, 2026
Damian Giletto/Imagn Images
The two construction workers missing following the collapse of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia parking garage in Grays Ferry are presumed dead, city officials say. The photo above shows the garage after it collapsed Wednesday.
The two construction workers missing after the parking garage collapse in Grays Ferry are presumed to be dead, city officials said Thursday night.
Demolition of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia parking garage is scheduled to begin Friday afternoon. The cause of the collapse, which killed another construction worker, remains under investigation.
The names of the three workers have not been released. Mayor Cherelle Parker said they were all members of Iron Workers Union Local 401, and that their families have been notified that the mission has shifted from rescue to recovery.
"We indeed grieve their loss tonight and we will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder to support those families that have been directly impacted," Parker said.
The seven-story parking garage being built on the 3000 block of Grays Ferry Avenue collapsed at 2:15 p.m. Wednesday as precast concrete floor decking and roof segments for the stairwell were being installed.
After the collapse, three workers were rescued from the rubble and transported to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center. One man was pronounced dead just after 3 p.m. Due to the instability of the structure, firefighters were unable to immediately continue their search for others.
Four search dogs entered the site Thursday afternoon but were unable to identify any signs of life, Fire Commissioner Jeffrey Thompson said. Drones and robots also were used in the search.
"We were confident that what we were dealing with was no longer a rescue but a recovery," Thompson said.
The demolition process will bring the building's height to a level that allows technical rescue specialists to safely enter and remove any human remains.
CHOP began construction on the 70-foot garage last year. The $32 million project aimed to add employee parking for the health system's expanding Roberts Center and Schuylkill Yards development zone. Some community groups had protested against its construction, saying the lot should have been used for a community center or clinic.
At the time of the collapse, all of the construction permits and inspections were up to date, Parker said Wednesday.
Traffic remains blocked off on Grays Ferry Avenue from 29th to 33rd streets, and the shopping plaza adjacent to the garage is closed until the operation is completed, officials said.
"Our city will continue to investigate this garage collapse and we will do it thoroughly and efficiently to learn all of the relevant facts of this terrible tragedy," Parker said. "And we will continue to communicate with the people of Philadelphia."
