Barry Levitt, an 80-year-old immigrant from South Africa, was killed on Monday evening when a residential balcony collapsed onto an Angel Bakery cafe in Jerusalem’s Rehavia neighborhood, police confirmed on Tuesday.
Levitt was sitting with his wife and grandchildren outside the Angel Bakery branch on Keren Kayemet LeIsrael Street when a second-floor balcony of the three-story building above collapsed onto the cafe at about 5:30 p.m. Rescue crews extricated him from the rubble, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
His wife, Janet, sustained light injuries, while two teenagers suffered minor cuts and abrasions, according to Magen David Adom.
Levitt and his wife made aliyah from Johannesburg six years ago and lived nearby in the Wolfson apartment complex. In South Africa, Levitt and his son Neil owned the Chilla beverage company, a producer of drinks across Africa, the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.
A preliminary Jerusalem Municipality investigation found that a private engineer hired by residents had inspected the balcony only hours before the collapse, after signs of structural sagging and even some fallen stones were reported. The engineer ordered that scaffolding be erected immediately and stabilization work begin, though the balcony collapsed before repairs could be carried out.
Jerusalem police launched an investigation into the tragedy. Levitt’s funeral was scheduled to take place in Jerusalem on Tuesday evening.
