Wind turbine collapses in Bronx, smashing car and destroying billboard

A wind turbine towering over a Bronx neighborhood came crashing down during a windstorm Monday, crushing a vehicle and destroying a billboard. Fortunately, no one was hurt.

What are the details?

The turbine collapsed at around 1:20 p.m., taking out a three-sided digital billboard before landing on a car. Thankfully, no one was inside the vehicle when the section of turbine fell on it.

New York state Assemblyman Mike Benedetto and state Sen. Jamaal Bailey gave a news conference at the scene of the wreckage, and called on the city Department of Buildings to "make sure something like this doesn't happen again."

Sen. Bailey told reporters, "This shouldn't have been put up so hastily. A wind turbine should not be able to be taken down by the wind."

The 250-foot turbine had just been installed two weeks before when, according to the Bronx Times, residents and elected officials expressed concern over the tower's location. There has been ongoing controversy over zoning on the property where the turbine was erected, and one local official told the outlet he believes the owner had the turbine installed without a building permit.