Two workers who died in the CHOP garage collapse were recovered as Parker outlines investigation details

The bodies of two ironworkers who were trapped under the debris of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia garage that collapsed last week were recovered early Monday morning, ending a careful, days-long operation to retrieve the men from an unstable structure.

Recovery crews entered the site at 9 p.m. Sunday. The Philadelphia Fire Department would retrieve the bodies within hours, according to Mayor Cherelle L. Parker.

Philadelphia’s Ironworkers Union Local 401 identified the men as Mark Scott Jr. and Matthew Kane early Saturday in a social media post, which has since been edited to omit their names.

A third ironworker, Stepan Shevchuk, was pulled from the debris the day of the Wednesday collapse and transported to a local hospital, where he died.

The families of the workers have kept largely out of the public eye. Still, some details about the workers’ personal lives have emerged.

Kane was a “loving, fun, happy-go-lucky” ironworker of more than two decades, said his cousin Brian Forstater. Shevchuk left Ukraine and moved to the United States just over a decade ago, seeking a better life, according to a GoFundMe page for funeral costs and other expenses.

“They were our brothers, skilled tradespeople who showed up to do their jobs — the same way they did every single day — and never came home. To the families, loved ones, and members of Local 401, the entire Philadelphia Building and Construction Trades Council stands with you. We grieve with you. And we will not forget," said Ryan N. Boyer, business manager of the Philadelphia Building and Construction Trades Council.

The collapse occurred as crews were building CHOP’s new 1,000-car garage at 30th Street and Grays Ferry Avenue. The seven-story garage partially collapsed Wednesday when a precast concrete roof segment failed and fell, pinning Kane and Scott, and fatally injuring Shevchuk.

Now, with all bodies recovered from the site, crews will transition into the next phase of the investigation, Parker said. This means roads will remain closed in the immediate area for the foreseeable future.

On Monday morning, Parker signed an executive order that directs the city’s law department to work with a consultant to conduct a comprehensive investigation of the collapse.

“The Law Department shall coordinate with the Office of the Inspector General on the Investigation, and both offices shall leverage all legal tools available, including subpoena power, to conduct a full and complete accounting of facts,” the order reads.

A confidential status report is due to Parker in 60 days. The final findings are due in 180 days, in mid-October.

After that, a special independent committee on the collapse will review the law department’s findings and “advise the Mayor on potential reforms or improvements.”

The focus of the committee will largely be on the Philadelphia Department of Licenses and Inspections, and its recommendations are due in February.

The agency outsources inspections of precast concrete projects because of their complex and specialized nature, which is beyond what L&I’s routine staff are experts in.

Parker has directed the committee to include, among others, appointees from the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, the Philadelphia building trades council, private developers, and academic experts.

Before the bodies were recovered, rescue crews had to meticulously assess the structural integrity of the partially collapsed garage before sending in recovery crews.

“This was a highly complex and dangerous incident that demanded patience, precision, and constant coordination,” said Fire Commissioner Jeffrey Thompson. “Every agency involved worked carefully and deliberately to meet operational objectives while keeping the public and responders safe.”

The controlled demolition began Saturday morning.

The closed-off stretch of Grays Ferry Avenue is home to the neighborhood’s grocery store, its post office, and a bank, leaving some neighbors without easy access to necessities.

All mail service normally operated out of the Grays Ferry office is now moved to the Paschall Post Office at 7300 Lindbergh Blvd., according to spokesperson Paul Smith.

On Sunday, the city hosted a food drive in Grays Ferry for those affected, including many residents who work at the temporarily closed businesses, including a Fresh Grocer supermarket.

Fritz Blaw, 67, a worker at the shuttered shopping center, said at the food drive that he had not worked since Wednesday afternoon. “I don’t work, I don’t get paid,” he said. “I need food.”

The Mayor’s Business Action Team is providing on-site support at Dixon House, 1920 S. 20th St., on Wednesday and Friday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. to help businesses apply for emergency relief through the Merchants Fund.

“This community has endured pain, disruption, and uncertainty,” Parker said. “But Philadelphia shows up for one another in moments like these. We grieve together, we recover together, and we move forward together as one Philly, a united city.”