Body camera video released two years after fatal Phoenix warehouse collapse
Body cam footage shows search of Phoenix warehouse collapse
Phoenix police body camera footage shows the emergency response and search efforts after a weather-caused warehouse collapse killed 22-year-old father Oswaldo Montoya. FOX 10's Nicole Krasean dives into the never-before-seen video from police.
PHOENIX - It has been two years since the body of a 22-year-old father was pulled from the wreckage of a Phoenix warehouse along 47th Avenue. The building collapsed during a monsoon microburst while the man was working inside.
What we know:
The warehouse is listed as permanently closed on Google. Newly released body camera video takes viewers inside the warehouse right after the fatal collapse.
"The roof fell in the building? Yeah, this side and the north side. And somebody's missing? Yes," Phoenix police officers said in the recording.
The backstory:
Body camera footage shows the moments officers arrived on scene to a partial warehouse collapse on the evening of July 24 during a monsoon storm in 2024.
"This is probably the worst I've ever seen," an officer had said.
While on scene, officers learned every employee was accounted for except 22-year-old Oswaldo Montoya.
"So someone is possibly outstanding in there? Yes, name's Oswaldo. Last known to be in there somewhere," an officer and a witness stated.
"Hey man, I'd probably go that way just so you're not under this. We're probably gonna have to start working our way out of here, too. Yeah," officers were captured saying on the video.
"Yeah, this warehouse is completely destroyed. Fire's working on setting up a team in place to set up a search and rescue. This guy's supposed to be possibly underneath a bunch of metal shelving," an officer stated. "Oswaldo's his name, he was last known to be in this vicinity."
Dig deeper:
Search and rescue crews with Phoenix Fire worked 12-hour shifts for nearly three days sifting through the warehouse rubble. Cranes were deployed to remove heavy slabs of concrete. Police were also using aerial drones to help with the search from above.
"Just trying to think outside the box and use everything available to us to try to locate him," an officer said.
On July 27, crews found Montoya's body near the area where he was last seen.
What The Family Had to Say:
FOX 10 spoke to Montoya's sisters days after the discovery as they prepared to lay the beloved young father to rest.
"God is giving us strength. He's giving us the strength. This is a very hard moment, but we feel him. He's with us," Oswaldo's sister Marian said.
"I love my brother so much. We're always gonna have him," Oswaldo's sister Judith said.
Investigation Findings:
Montoya's death was ruled accidental. An investigation after the collapse revealed no safety violations by the warehouse owner. Investigators determined the collapse was a weather-caused tragedy.
Map of where the roof collapsed.
The Source: Information in this report was gathered from Phoenix Police Department body camera footage, Phoenix Fire Department search and rescue crews, past FOX 10 interviews with Marian and Judith, and official post-collapse investigation findings.