At least 16 people were injured when a roof collapsed during a house party in Oakland near the University of Pittsburgh campus on Friday. A video going viral online captured the moment the porch roof ripped off the side of a home. Dozens of people were on the top of the roof when it collapsed onto even more people underneath. According to the New York Post, 16 people were taken to area hospitals suffering from a range of injuries, with three in serious condition. The most serious included concussions and arm and leg injuries.
The video shared on X showed multiple people on the porch’s roof and on the porch itself when it collapsed. A witness of the collapse reportedly said that he counted up to 22 people on the roof when the incident occurred.
🇺🇸 At least 16 injured in balcony collapse at student party near University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania pic.twitter.com/SoszHF3iV9
— MASHIAHIYIM QODESHIM TALMIDIM (@AlvesPedro57992) March 15, 2025
One person who managed to make it out uninjured lamented the harsh end to the festivities. “It just fell. Everyone was having fun, and then no one was having fun,” Carlton Gbur said, per the outlet.
Some students on the scene said they had to help pull some students out by lifting the collapsed roof. “I was just scared for everybody that was down there. I was just sitting to the side and I saw it fall down,” said Dave Rentzel who was at the party.
“It all just happened in the blink of an eye, the roof just collapsed on us, it felt so scary, I really don’t have the words to comprehend how I felt in the moment,” said Michael Estocin who was on the roof when it fell, per CBS News.
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Officials said that there were anywhere between 300-500 students in the courtyard during the collapse. The scene has since been cleared and the rest of the building has been deemed okay following the collapse. The rear porch area, however, has been condemned, the outlet reported.
The University of Pittsburgh Police confirmed in a social media update that those injured were transported for care. It said that it continues to work with the city on the investigation into what happened. “As a reminder, it is never safe to be on rooftop,” the statement added.
