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Philadelphia Council Forms Special Panel to Probe Deadly CHOP Garage Collapse

The new panel creates a third investigation with subpoena power for public hearings.

Overview

  • City Council President Kenyatta Johnson won approval Thursday for a special committee to investigate the CHOP parking garage collapse in Grays Ferry.
  • The panel will include councilmembers, construction experts, and community residents, hold public hearings, use subpoena power, and deliver findings to Council and the mayor.
  • Officials say the seven-story structure under construction partially failed during installation of a precast concrete roof section, triggering a stair-tower collapse that killed three ironworkers.
  • Separate probes are underway as OSHA leads the federal investigation and Mayor Cherelle Parker’s executive order assigns the city law department and an outside consultant to produce a public report within 180 days.
  • After the mayor’s report, a separate review panel will weigh reforms focused on the Department of Licenses and Inspections, while traffic near the site has largely reopened with one eastbound lane still restricted.