80-year-old man killed after balcony collapses on bakery in central Jerusalem
Hours after residents were said to have reported structural dangers, balcony crashes through ground-floor bakery, killing Barry Levitt and wounding several others
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An 80-year-old man was killed on Monday and several others were wounded after a balcony collapsed in a residential area in the center of Jerusalem.
Around 5:30 p.m., first responders were called to the scene where a balcony collapsed above a branch of the bakery chain Angel on Keren Kayemet LeIsrael Street in the Rehavia neighborhood of the capital.
The Magen David Adom ambulance service said an approximately 80-year-old man, later named as Barry Levitt, was extracted from the wreckage by personnel from the Fire and Rescue Authority, and was pronounced dead at the scene due to multisystemic injuries.
MDA said it also treated an approximately 80-year-old woman for light injuries, who was identified in Hebrew media reports as the man’s wife.
In addition, two teenagers at the scene were treated for scratches and abrasions sustained in the incident.
Police said it shut down surrounding roads in order to secure the scene and asked the public to stay away from the site of the collapse.
In video from the scene which captured the moment of collapse, the entire length of the balcony, which spans the whole building, detached from the facade and crashed into the seating area of the bakery directly underneath.
תיעוד: אירוע קריסת המרפסת בירושלים בו נהרג אדם בן כ-80 @HGoldich https://t.co/R6ZN2ZAMVf pic.twitter.com/urp4If8rLB
— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) July 20, 2026
According to Hebrew media reports, residents of the apartment building above the bakery had earlier Monday reported the balcony’s instability to police and city authorities, and an inspector had just hours earlier visited the site.
The Kan public broadcaster reported that the expert had ordered work to be done to structurally reinforce the balcony, mere hours before it collapsed.
In a statement, the Jerusalem Municipality said professional engineers from the city were dispatched to the scene to stabilize the structure, “identify risks and provide ongoing instructions. With the completion of the tests, the municipality will act in accordance with the findings and recommendations of the professional bodies.”
The Times of Israel Community.