Construction debris falls from UWS high-rise onto nearby playground

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NY) - The construction site for 200 Amsterdam, a luxury high rise with apartments starting at nearly $3M stretches 668 feet into the air on the Upper East Side. Beneath it lies many homes and streets, along with a playground adjacent to P.S. 199, which was abruptly closed after construction debris from the high rise came cascading down on to unsuspecting children.

Children who were there that day say it was wet cement that fell onto them, and FOX 5 NY found pieces of hardened cement on the playground.

In a statement to FOX 5 NY, 200 Amsterdam's developer, SJP properties, confirmed the falling concrete particles and deemed the incident harmless, saying in a statement: "We have stopped all exterior work on the building while we implement additional safety measures to be approved by the Department of Buildings. We are pleased that the school park has been reopened following review by the school and Parks Department, which deemed the area safe."

The Department of Buildings did issue a partial stop work order above 40 stories on the side of the high-rise facing the playground and say they are investigating the incident. 

P.S. 199 also sent a letter home to parents, alerting them to construction concerns.