Authorities are investigating after a construction worker fell to his death in Brooklyn on Friday morning.
It happened just after 8 a.m. at 325 Kent Avenue in Williamsburg, the site of the old Domino Sugar Factory.
Police said Wilfredo Enriques, 59, fell four stories from scaffolding to the sidewalk.
He was pronounced dead at Woodhull Medical Center.
Enriques had been installing glass at the factory. A candlelight vigil in his honor is scheduled for Saturday at 5 p.m. at the old Domino Sugar Factory
"I feel very sad because we work in construction so we got to take care of each other," said fellow construction worker, Gustavo Revele. "It's no good. Everybody's family."
It is a tragedy that his co-workers say has raised concerns for their own safety because sources say Enrique's safety harness was not attached to the scaffolding.
He was a non-union worker employed by PG Products, a subcontractor hired to convert the old sugar factory into apartments. The company is now under question about its safety standards:
"We are devastated by the loss of Wilfredo Enriques, a dedicated employee and friend for the past decade. Our prayers are with Wilfredo's family at this very difficult time," John Gibney, the principal of PG Products of New York, said in a statement.
"We are fully cooperating with Two Trees [contractor] and the DOB [department of buildings] to understand how this tragedy occurred," Gibney's statement continued.
Meanwhile, District Council 9, which represents union workers, is pressing the city to implement safety legislation and appropriate oversight for city-funded projects so that all workers, both union and non-union, are adequately trained.
"In the last two years, there's been 29 construction deaths, and there's no outrage. If this was any other industry, nurses, cops or firefighters, there would be riots in the street," District Council 9 spokesperson Davon Lomax said. "We haven't seen any action from our elected leaders, and we're calling on them to step up and do something about it."
Brooklyn City Council member Jumaane Williams voiced his concerns too, saying the city should protect the lives of construction workers while keeping up with the pace of housing demand.
Enriques's colleague and supervisor agree.
"We work, you know, eight hours every day," Revele said. "It's not like sometimes here and there. First thing, [you] have to be safe."