A Bronx mother says her daughter is lucky to be alive after a massive tree came crashing down during Thursday’s storms at NYCHA’s Clason Point Gardens, slamming onto the sidewalk just steps from their home.
Dorothy Febus told reporters she was in her backyard when the tree gave way. Her daughter, Brianna, had just walked in moments earlier. “My daughter could have been dead today,” Febus said, still shaken by how close the falling trunk came.
FDNY clears the trunk, but mess lingers behind
Firefighters raced in and chainsawed the fallen tree to reopen the sidewalk, but the job stopped there, according to Febus. Sections of the trunk and piles of brush were left scattered across the family’s yard, creating what residents say are fresh hazards where one terrifying near-miss just happened. The incident was reported by News 12.
Neighbors told the station that NYCHA surveyed trees across the development last year and marked several for maintenance. Yet they say many of the worst-looking limbs are still hanging over sidewalks and streets, untrimmed and waiting for the next storm.
Brianna, who serves as president of the Clason Point Gardens Tenant Association, told News 12 she has been flagging that very tree to NYCHA for five years and is now particularly worried about another branch still dangling above the street. “My heart was jumping and I was thinking, like, ‘Damn, that could have been me,’” she said.
Tenants say it is part of a bigger neglect problem
Residents and local reporting say this was not some freak one-off incident, but part of a broader pattern of slow or skipped maintenance at Clason Point Gardens, including cracked sidewalks and other trees that reportedly took months to be hauled away after falling.
As reported by Bronx Times, tenant leaders including Febus have repeatedly raised alarms about safety and upkeep across the development. NYCHA’s own development listing identifies Clason Point Gardens as one of its Bronx properties and notes that the complex spans multiple addresses within the 10473 ZIP code. For residents, those formal listings are less important than seeing real, visible follow-through on the trees and repairs that have already been flagged.
How to report a hazardous tree
Residents who spot a dangerous tree can file a complaint through the city’s 311 system, which tenant leaders say they plan to keep using while they push for more immediate pruning and removal of loose or dangling limbs. To report a potential hazard, call 311 or visit NYC 311. Neighborhood leaders say they will continue pressing NYCHA for a full sweep of every tree that has been marked for attention inside the development.
