Video Captures Deadly Manhattan Crane Collapse

An onlooker filmed the moment a giant construction crane collapsed in Manhattan, killing a Wall Street worker and injuring three other people.

The clip shows the massive structure crashing down an entire block in the Tribeca neighbourhood, about 10 blocks north of the World Trade Center.

Harvard mathematics graduate David Wichs, 38, had just stepped out of a parked car when he was killed in Friday morning's incident.

The Prague-born immigrant worked at a computerised trading firm, said his sister-in-law, Lisa Guttman.

"He really created a life for himself," she tearfully told the Associated Press news agency.

"He literally took every opportunity he could find."

A 45-year-old woman suffered a leg trauma and a 73-year-old man had a cut to the head, said officials.

A third person suffered minor injuries.

Mayor Bill de Blasio said the incident occurred while the 565ft (172 metre) crane was being lowered as a precaution because of gusty winds.

The death toll could have been even higher had the crew not been directing people away from the area as the structure was being shifted.

There have been gas leaks as the result of the collapse, said Mr de Blasio.

Images from the scene showed the crane's boom had landed across several parked cars, crushing their roofs.

Debris littered the street and the impact damaged the roof of a nearby building.

Robert Harold, who works at the Legal Aid Society, said: "It was right outside my window. It was a crashing sound.

"You could feel the vibration in the building."

An employee at Bay Crane, whose company name is on the structure, said an investigation was under way.

More than 100 firefighters and emergency personnelresponded to the scene after the 8.25am collapse.

Streets were closed as emergency services searched cars for anyone who might be trapped.

Buildings were evacuated as officials check for structural damage.