The boss of a window washer who is clinging to life after a 47-story plunge from a Manhattan high-rise blamed a supervisor yesterday for signing off on the job despite safety concerns about a scaffold.
Alcides Moreno, 37, remained in critical condition, five days after falling nearly 500 feet from an Upper East Side apartment building in an accident that killed his younger brother, Edgar.
The two were moonlighting Friday morning for a Queens-based window washing company, whose owner spoke publicly yesterday for the first time since the tragic incident.
“The scaffold was cleared for service, and that’s why they were working,” said Michael Hoszowski, the owner of City Wide Window Cleaning.
“Accidents could happen. Sometimes by negligence, sometimes by other factors.”
When asked if he gave the OK to run the scaffold that day from the top of the Solow Tower, at 265 E. 66th St., Hoszowski said, “No.” He said that the approval came from a supervisor named Tony Delgado.
“He was in charge,” Hoszowski said.
Family members had said the brothers expressed reservations about the scaffold because of a mechanical problem, but that a boss named “Tony” had reassured them the structure had been fixed.
Delgado could not be reached for comment.
His wife said he was out of town on a trip that was scheduled before the accident.
Officials said the brothers were not wearing required safety harnesses at the time of the accident. But it was unclear if cables pulled them down before they had a chance to put them on.
Edgar’s body was shipped to his native Ecuador, where relatives said he will be buried today.
Meanwhile, Alcides’ wife, Rosario, said she is hoping the miracle holds out.
“He’s still in critical condition,” Rosario said.
Family members said they were still waiting for answers.
“We want to know who really gave the order to go to work, and if the scaffold was broken,” said a relative, José Cumbicos.
“The responsible party needs to pay. This can’t end this way.”
A union official also called for a City Council probe.
“The tragic incident from last week at a non-union site shows us that industry standards may not be high enough, or that whatever standards that are in place might be not be adequately adhered to by all window cleaning contractors,” said Matt Nerzig, a spokesman for Local 32BJ, the service workers union.
Hoszowski said he had expressed his condolences to the family, and wanted to start a fund for Alcides’ three children. He praised the brothers as hard-working professionals.
“These are veteran window cleaners, including Tony Delgado,” Hoszowski said. “They don’t take unnecessary chances. They don’t need to. The job itself is dangerous.”
Hoszowski said the accident has been “a living nightmare.”
“I’ve been devastated since it happened,” the owner said.