Giant branch falls across Brooklyn Heights’ Joralemon Street, damaging cars

July 31, 2024 Mary Frost

This man, armed only with pruning shears, confronts what appears to be a nearly insurmountable task after a giant tree branch fell Tuesday on Joralemon Street. Photo courtesy of Linda DeRosa

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WILLOWTOWN — A giant tree branch abruptly fell across Joralemon Street between Columbia Place and Willow Place in Brooklyn Heights just before noon on Tuesday, damaging two cars.

A primary branch from a Bradford pear tree broke off and fell across Joralemon Street’s Belgium block roadway, but luckily didn’t strike anyone on the often-busy sidewalk, which leads to one of the main entrances to Brooklyn Bridge Park.

“I went outside to pick up my New York Times and everything was fine. Ten minutes later, the branch came down,” said resident Linda DeRosa, president of the Willowtown Association, who snapped photos of the downed tree. DeRosa identified the type of tree using a botany app called “Pictures This,” she said.

FDNY and NYPD responders helped remove the downed tree branch from Joralemon Street on Tuesday, July 30. Photo courtesy of Linda DeRosa

Willowtown is the shady, historic enclave in the southwest section of Brooklyn Heights, bordered on its north edge by Joralemon Street.

FDNY received the report of a tree down at 39 Joralemon St. at 11:51 a.m., an agency spokesperson told the Brooklyn Eagle.

Firefighters and police from the 84th Precinct responded “within 20 minutes” to help clear the tree, DeRosa said. “Thanks to NYPD and FDNY for their speedy response to our call.”

According to a U.S. Department of Agriculture fact sheet published by the University of Florida, while the flowers of Bradford pear trees are gorgeous, the trees have a serious structural flaw which makes the branches prone to break off.

“The crown is dense and the branches long and not tapered, making it quite susceptible to wind and ice damage and other breakage,” the publication says. As the trees approach 20 years old, they often begin to fall apart.

The trees are also susceptible to fire blight, according to Texas A&M Agricultural Extension.