Boston Police have identified the man killed in the deadly collapse Saturday at a Government Center garage demolition project as Peter Monsini, 51, of South Easton.
A Boston Police Department spokesperson identified Monsini late Sunday afternoon.
Boston Fire Commissioner Jack Dempsey said that Monsini’s remains were removed from the scene of the accident around 9:15 p.m.
Monsini apparently fell nine stories to the ground shortly after 5:30 p.m. Saturday while working to demolish the decking of the garage. Boston Fire Commissioner Jack Dempsey told reporters at the scene the victim was operating a bobcat with a jackhammer attachment when the ground underneath him collapsed.
Dempsey said Monsini was immediately declared deceased by emergency medical personnel but that responders could not safely reach his remains until hours later.
On Sunday, work was being done to examine the structure but Dempsey said demolition work will pause until after agents of the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, and workers from the city’s Inspectional Services Department declare the scene safe.
“There is always a possibility of further collapse given the building is being demolished. Any further removal of the building will be done with a higher level of safety. OSHA inspectors are on scene and all safety measures will be reviewed before further work continues. Future work will not commence till the investigation is completed by OSHA,” he said via email.
OSHA teams were on the scene Sunday morning, inspecting the building from the ground and using a drone. Congress Street, which runs adjacent to the incident, remained closed as of noon.
The Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office said no foul play is apparent but that they would participate in any investigation into Monsini’s death.
“Our office, along with numerous local, state and federal agencies will be involved in investigating this tragedy,” the office said in a written statement.
“Our office is a stone’s throw away from the garage and our staff has watched through their office windows all the work being done these many months. To know that one of the workers on this project has tragically died weighs heavy on our hearts. Our deepest sympathies go out to his family and friends.”
John Moriarty and Associates, the general contractor managing the project, confirmed in a statement an accident occurred at its job site Saturday evening and that a man had died.
Monsini was a member of the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 4. Following the incident, William McLaughlin, Local 4 Business Manager, met with workers at the site and released a statement saying the union would work with investigators.
“The leadership and members of IUOE Local 4 are supporting the investigation and all efforts to understand what happened here,” he said.
Train service on the Orange Line, which runs under the construction site, was replaced with Bus Service between North Station and the Back Bay for the weekend in advance of the demolition project. Those buses were themselves rerouted around Haymarket Station to avoid roads closed by the accident, according to the MBTA.
The brutalist-style Government Center garage was built in 1972 as part of Boston’s urban renewal plan. Its demolition is part of a $1.4 billion redevelopment project that will see a 2.9-million-square-foot area around Haymarket Square built for mixed use and renamed Bulfinch Crossing.
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