A devastating building collapse in Brooklyn has taken the life of 26-year-old Jose Luis Caguana Cosquillo, an Ecuadorian construction worker and devoted father whose family now faces an unimaginable loss. His death has brought a deeply personal dimension to a tragedy that claimed eight lives, including two children, and left 18 others injured.

For Jose’s family, the disaster means more than the loss of a loved one. It means a heavily pregnant wife is suddenly facing childbirth without her husband, while their young child must grow up without the father who had been working to provide for the family.

According to his brother, Carlos, Jose was the sole financial provider for his household. He had moved from Ecuador to the United States approximately six years ago, hoping to build a more secure future for himself and his loved ones.

Instead, his life was cut short in a catastrophe that has left relatives, friends and members of the local community grieving.

A FATHER WHO WAS WORKING TO SUPPORT HIS FAMILY
Jose Luis Caguana was 26 years old and had been living in the United States for several years. His family described him as the person they depended on financially, making his sudden loss especially difficult for the wife and child he leaves behind.

His wife is heavily pregnant and reportedly expected to give birth very soon. The couple also has another young child.

Speaking to Univision, Jose’s brother Carlos described the devastating situation facing the family. He explained that his sister-in-law was overwhelmed by grief and struggling to process what had happened.

Carlos said his brother had been the family’s only provider. With Jose gone, his wife is now confronting the final stage of her pregnancy while also trying to care for their young child and cope with the sudden loss of her husband.

The family has not only lost someone they loved but also the person who had been working to keep their household financially stable.

The circumstances have drawn attention to the human cost of the Brooklyn collapse, particularly for families whose lives were changed in a matter of seconds.

JOSE WAS AMONG EIGHT PEOPLE KILLED IN THE FLATBUSH COLLAPSE
The collapse happened shortly after 4 p.m. on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, at 1321 Flatbush Avenue in the Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York.

A three-story building containing residential and commercial spaces suddenly collapsed into an excavation area at an adjoining construction site near 2625 Bedford Avenue.

The incident triggered a large emergency response involving firefighters, emergency medical personnel, police officers and specialized rescue teams. People were trapped beneath the debris, and rescuers faced an unstable scene as they searched through the remains of the structure.

Authorities ultimately confirmed that eight people had died. The victims included two children, ages 9 and 10, as well as six adults.

The New York Police Department identified the victims as:

Nicole Daniela Salvada Rodriguez, 9
Kevin Santiago Reyes Gonzalez, 10
Gabriel Siguencia, 22
Barry Mamadou, 23
Jose Luis Caguana Cosquillo, 26
Edgar Sapon, 26
Juan Daniel Salvada Guzman, 31
Ndiaye Mamadou, 31
Jose was one of two construction workers among those who lost their lives in the incident, according to officials and local reporting.

Eighteen other people were injured, including four firefighters. Some required hospital treatment, and at least one person was initially reported to be in critical condition.

The FDNY continued its search through the night and into Thursday. Crews used specialized equipment and search dogs to examine the debris and identify possible spaces where people could have been trapped.

The rescue operation concluded Thursday afternoon, November 12, after authorities determined that all known victims had been accounted for.

A COMMUNITY REMEMBERS JOSE AS A FRIEND AND SOCCER PLAYER
Beyond his work and responsibilities as a father, Jose was also remembered by people who knew him through soccer.

He played for Club La Bahia NY, a New York-based soccer club whose members paid tribute to him following news of his death.

The club’s president described Jose as a neighbor and friend whose presence had brought friendship and camaraderie to those around him.

In a message honoring the young man, the club expressed sorrow over his passing and remembered his talent on the field, particularly the skill and personality that made him stand out as a player.

The tribute reflected how widely his loss was felt among people outside his immediate family.

For teammates and friends, Jose was not simply one of the victims identified after a major disaster. He was someone they had shared time, conversations and memories with — a young man whose future had been taken away unexpectedly.

INVESTIGATORS EXAMINE THE CONSTRUCTION SITE NEXT DOOR
As families mourn those who died, investigators are working to establish what caused the three-story building to collapse.

The structure fell beside an excavation project at an adjoining property. Officials confirmed that excavation work was taking place at the construction site on the day of the disaster.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said the Department of Buildings and law enforcement agencies would investigate the circumstances surrounding the collapse.

Officials have emphasized that the precise cause has not yet been established. Investigators are examining the condition of the collapsed building, the nearby construction activity and the work being carried out at the adjoining property.

The construction site had been the subject of previous enforcement activity. A report by NBC New York said city inspectors issued a violation in April after finding that demolition work at the neighboring property had continued despite an earlier stop-work order.

A pre-construction inspection report also documented visible cracks and deficiencies along the north exterior wall of the building that later collapsed. However, investigators have not established whether those conditions contributed to the failure.

The city’s records also show a long history of housing-code violations at the collapsed property. CBS New York reported that the building had 98 open violations, involving issues that included leaks and other maintenance problems.

Those records have raised further questions about the condition of the structure and the oversight of construction activity in the surrounding area.

The existence of violations or earlier complaints does not, by itself, establish what caused the collapse. Authorities will need to determine whether any particular construction activity, structural weakness, failure to provide adequate support, or combination of factors played a role.

The Associated Press reported that investigators are examining excavation procedures, contractor practices, building oversight and whether the neighboring structure was properly monitored while work was underway.

Experts have identified several possible issues that can arise when excavation takes place beside an older building, including ground movement, vibrations and inadequate support for the excavation walls. These remain potential lines of inquiry, not confirmed explanations for this incident.

CITY ORDERS WIDER INSPECTIONS AS QUESTIONS GROW
The tragedy has also prompted renewed scrutiny of construction safety and the city’s inspection system.

Mayor Mamdani announced that the city would arrange inspections at other construction sites connected to companies involved in the project. Officials have also said an independent engineering firm would assist with the investigation.

The broader review is intended to determine whether safety procedures were followed and whether similar risks may exist at other locations.

The collapse has raised difficult questions about how older residential buildings are protected when major excavation and construction work takes place immediately beside them.

Residents in the area have also described concerns about construction activity, including vibrations and signs of damage. Investigators will have to assess those accounts alongside engineering records, inspection reports and physical evidence recovered from the site.

At this stage, no final determination has been announced about responsibility for the collapse.

A FAMILY FACING AN UNCERTAIN FUTURE
While investigators examine the wreckage, Jose Luis Caguana’s family is left to confront a loss that cannot be measured by the official death toll.

His wife is approaching the birth of their child without the partner who had been preparing to welcome the baby with her. Their other young child has lost a father, and relatives are now facing the difficult task of supporting a family whose main provider is gone.

Carlos’s account of his sister-in-law’s grief offered a glimpse into the private suffering behind the headlines. He described a woman overwhelmed by the sudden loss of her husband, struggling to find words as she faced a future she had never expected to navigate alone.

Jose had come to the United States approximately six years earlier. Like many people who leave their home countries, he had been working to create opportunities and provide for the people closest to him.

His life ended at just 26, before he could see his family grow and before his wife could welcome the baby they were expecting together.

His name is now among the eight people officially identified after the Brooklyn collapse. But to his family, friends and soccer teammates, he will be remembered for much more than his place on a list of victims.

He was a husband, a father, a brother, a friend and a young man who had been working toward a future with his family.

As New York continues its investigation into the circumstances of the collapse, those closest to Jose are left remembering the person behind the tragedy — and facing the difficult days ahead without him.