A brawl erupted on Monday between police and community members who constructed the tunnel, after a cement truck arrived to fill it. There were nine detentions.
The tunnel was 60 feet (18 meters) long, and officials claimed it was improperly reinforced.
On Wednesday, the city issued an emergency order to stabilize the building.
“We have been on site in Crown Heights since [Tuesday] morning to investigate the illegal excavation work found underneath the buildings, and its impacts on the neighbouring structures,” the building department in New York stated.
Officials stated, “We will continue to monitor the progress of this emergency stabilization work,” but cautioned that further action might be needed.
On Monday, due to concerns, city inspectors were sent to the Chabad-Lubavitch headquarters in Brooklyn to do an urgent structural examination.
