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The company that owns the construction crane that collapsed in the middle of the street at Hudson Yards on Wednesday, July 26, was founded by a construction magnate and self-proclaimed “crane king”, whose machines have already been involved in two deadly incidents, according to the New York Post.
The 45-story crane that burst into flames and then fell onto a construction site on 10th Avenue is owned by New York City Crane & Equipment Corp., Department of Buildings officials said at a news conference.
The Queens-based company was founded and led by the late James Lomma, a scandalous and pompous Staten Island native who called himself the “faucet king.” He died in 2019. Lomma’s company first made headlines in 2008 when two of its cranes collapsed and killed nine people in just two months.
The first incident occurred on March 15 at 303 East 51 Street, days after a caller told city officials that the 22-story crane lacked proper safety wires. Six construction workers and one resident who was in the apartment at the time were killed and 24 people were injured when a crane fell on a nearby building and then destroyed part of the street below.
Five days after the tragedy, the inspector who allowed work to continue at the site after a complaint was accused of lying about conducting an inspection of the equipment. Patricia Lancaster, who was DOB’s director at the time, concluded that proper inspection would not have prevented the collapse because the crane was moving.
On the subject: How the death of an immigrant at a construction site changed the laws in New York
Two months later in 2008, another New York City Crane & Equipment collapsed on East 91st Street, killing 30-year-old crane operator Donald Leo and 27-year-old worker Ramadan Courtage.
Subsequently, Lomma and the New York City Crane Company were charged with negligent homicide. Prosecutors attributed the collapse to cheap bearings. During a 2012 trial, investigators said Lomma decided to repair the crane for $20,000 with Chinese firm RTR Bearing instead of investing in a safer $120,000 option through Avon Bearings in Ohio.
Compensation, or how to avoid it
The court acquitted Lomma. His behavior after the tragedy caused anger among the relatives of the victims. “He is dancing on our son’s grave,” Courtage’s cousin, Gevayr Sinanay, said at the time, accusing Lomm of sending taunting emails after the verdict. In August 2015, a jury ordered Lomm to pay Leo and Courtage’s family a record $96 million in damages after a 10-month civil trial.
The highlight of the lawsuit was a standoff during which Lomma refused to hand over his $4.6 million Pilatus PC-12 turboprop aircraft with leather seats, prompting the judge to order him to “sell that damn plane.”
Lawyers for the families of the victims believed that Lomma was illegally transferring his assets to his daughter’s company in order to avoid paying compensation.
When the “faucet king” declared bankruptcy of three of his companies, including New York Crane, a few months later, he said he had only $58 million in assets. At the time, he lived in a $1 million Staten Island mansion and owned a $300,000 villa in the Virgin Islands.
“Lomma is extremely, extremely wealthy, yet the families didn’t get a dime from him,” said lawyer Susan Carten, who represented the Kurtai family in 2017. That same year, the appeals panel upheld the jury’s verdict but reduced the damages to $35 million.
Profit is more important than conscience
“Lomma put profit before the safety of builders and the public, although he had many opportunities to change the course of events,” concluded a panel of five judges.
In 2018, Lomma presented a formal reorganization plan in which he promised to pay compensation for his obligations to creditors. In 2019, the businessman died at the age of 73. His obituary made no mention of his past scandals, but emphasized his “humanitarian work” and “love of the ocean.”
According to the records, currently New York City Crane & Equipment Corp. may be operated by JF Lomma Inc. Frankie Signorelli. According to LinkedIn posts, Frankie Signorelli is the company’s chief operating officer.
New York City Crane declined to comment.
As ForumDaily NewYork previously wrote:
A construction crane, located on top of a high-rise building in midtown Manhattan, caught fire and partially collapsed onto the street on the morning of Wednesday, July 26. As a result of the incident, according to updated data, 12 people were injured.
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This is not the first time the company that owns the crane that fell in New York has been involved in construction accidents.
The company that owns the construction crane that collapsed in the middle of the street at Hudson Yards on Wednesday, July 26, was founded by a construction magnate and self-proclaimed “crane king”, whose machines have already been involved in two deadly incidents, according to the New York Post.
The 45-story crane that burst into flames and then fell onto a construction site on 10th Avenue is owned by New York City Crane & Equipment Corp., Department of Buildings officials said at a news conference.
The Queens-based company was founded and led by the late James Lomma, a scandalous and pompous Staten Island native who called himself the “faucet king.” He died in 2019. Lomma’s company first made headlines in 2008 when two of its cranes collapsed and killed nine people in just two months.
The first incident occurred on March 15 at 303 East 51 Street, days after a caller told city officials that the 22-story crane lacked proper safety wires. Six construction workers and one resident who was in the apartment at the time were killed and 24 people were injured when a crane fell on a nearby building and then destroyed part of the street below.
Five days after the tragedy, the inspector who allowed work to continue at the site after a complaint was accused of lying about conducting an inspection of the equipment. Patricia Lancaster, who was DOB’s director at the time, concluded that proper inspection would not have prevented the collapse because the crane was moving.
On the subject: How the death of an immigrant at a construction site changed the laws in New York
Two months later in 2008, another New York City Crane & Equipment collapsed on East 91st Street, killing 30-year-old crane operator Donald Leo and 27-year-old worker Ramadan Courtage.
Subsequently, Lomma and the New York City Crane Company were charged with negligent homicide. Prosecutors attributed the collapse to cheap bearings. During a 2012 trial, investigators said Lomma decided to repair the crane for $20,000 with Chinese firm RTR Bearing instead of investing in a safer $120,000 option through Avon Bearings in Ohio.
Compensation, or how to avoid it
The court acquitted Lomma. His behavior after the tragedy caused anger among the relatives of the victims. “He is dancing on our son’s grave,” Courtage’s cousin, Gevayr Sinanay, said at the time, accusing Lomm of sending taunting emails after the verdict. In August 2015, a jury ordered Lomm to pay Leo and Courtage’s family a record $96 million in damages after a 10-month civil trial.
The highlight of the lawsuit was a standoff during which Lomma refused to hand over his $4.6 million Pilatus PC-12 turboprop aircraft with leather seats, prompting the judge to order him to “sell that damn plane.”
Lawyers for the families of the victims believed that Lomma was illegally transferring his assets to his daughter’s company in order to avoid paying compensation.
When the “faucet king” declared bankruptcy of three of his companies, including New York Crane, a few months later, he said he had only $58 million in assets. At the time, he lived in a $1 million Staten Island mansion and owned a $300,000 villa in the Virgin Islands.
“Lomma is extremely, extremely wealthy, yet the families didn’t get a dime from him,” said lawyer Susan Carten, who represented the Kurtai family in 2017. That same year, the appeals panel upheld the jury’s verdict but reduced the damages to $35 million.
Profit is more important than conscience
“Lomma put profit before the safety of builders and the public, although he had many opportunities to change the course of events,” concluded a panel of five judges.
In 2018, Lomma presented a formal reorganization plan in which he promised to pay compensation for his obligations to creditors. In 2019, the businessman died at the age of 73. His obituary made no mention of his past scandals, but emphasized his “humanitarian work” and “love of the ocean.”
According to the records, currently New York City Crane & Equipment Corp. may be operated by JF Lomma Inc. Frankie Signorelli. According to LinkedIn posts, Frankie Signorelli is the company’s chief operating officer.
New York City Crane declined to comment.
As ForumDaily NewYork previously wrote:
- A construction crane, located on top of a high-rise building in midtown Manhattan, caught fire and partially collapsed onto the street on the morning of Wednesday, July 26. As a result of the incident, according to updated data, 12 people were injured.
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