Family’s New Jersey Rowhome Collapses

The collapse of the Ali family’s Camden home was more than a decade in the making, according to Haneef Ali. When a building next door was demolished in 2000, one wall of the rowhouse was weakened and was never reinforced. Over time, the brick facade began separating from the front of the building, until, last week, city officials notified the Alis that the home was unsafe to live in. Ali, who shared the Line Street home with his wife, their adult daughter, and her 2-year-old daughter, said he could not afford to make the repairs.