The man who operated a backhoe at the site of Wednesday's deadly building collapse in downtown Philadelphia will be charged with the deaths of six people, sources tell NBC10 Philadelphia.
Sean Benschop, 42, will face six counts of involuntary manslaughter as well as counts of risking a catastrophe and reckless endangerment for his role in the collapse, sources say.
Sources also say Benschop had marijuana and prescription painkillers in his blood two hours after the outer wall of 2136 Market Street tumbled down onto the Salvation Army Thrift Shop Wednesday morning.
Philadelphia Police detectives raided Benschop's home along the 4900 block of North 7th Street in the Olney section of Philadelphia around 4:30 p.m. Friday.
NBC10 was there as detectives removed boxes filled with documents and a yellow safety vest, notebook and desktop computers and a hard drive from the home.
Benschop's whereabouts are currently unknown. Neighbors tell NBC10 that investigators were asking them if they had seen the man. Neighbors replied they hadn't seen him in some time.
NBC10 was able to reach Benschop by phone but he offered no comment and referred us to his attorney. When asked whether he was on drugs when the collapse happed Wednesday, Benschop hung up the phone.
Neighbors said Benschop would regulary drive the backhoe from his home in Olney to work sites around the city.
The Center City collapse buried nearly two dozen people under brick, cement and wood. Six people were killed and 13 hurt in the collapse. One woman was buried for 13 hours under rubble before being rescued.
Sources say Benschop was taken to a nearby hospital after the four-story building came down to take a blood and urine test. Those tests were expedited for quick results.
Benschop is a convicted felon and lists himself as self-employed, sources say.
The Philadelphia District Attorney's Office's Homicide Unit was at the collapse scene Thursday. The DA Office's spokeswoman Tasha Jamerson said at the time it was too early to comment further on criminal charges.
Benschop was operating the backhoe for demolition contractor Griffin Campbell Construction. City officials stopped work at two other Griffin Campbell sites in the city's Midtown Village section on Thursday.
Construction company owner Griffin Campbell had a valid contractor license, issued this January, but owed thousands of dollars in unpaid city, state and federal business taxes.
Campbell, 49, also has a criminal history — having pleaded guilty to theft and insurance fraud charges in 2009.
Construction workers and everyday citizens called Griffin Campbell Construction's demolition practices at the site into question prior to and following the collapse.
A month before the collapse, Stephen Field told the City of Philadelphia's Philly311 customer service center about a lack of safety gear being used by workers as they hacked away at the brick building. He also voiced his concern that pedestrians could be hit by falling debris or that a complete collapse could happen.
City officials said they sent out a building inspector to an adjacent work site at 2134 Market Street after being provided with that site's address. They say the inspector found no violations. Officials also said demolition work had not begun at the site of Wednesday's collapse and so that demolition project was never inspected.
Field disputed that claim, saying there was "no doubt" both building were being demolished at the same time. City officials have not responded to Field's dispute.
A lawsuit has already been filed on behalf of two of the victims — one shopper and one employee.
Crews had been working to clear the collapse site since Wednesday, but work will be halted Saturday as attorneys involved in the suit will be allowed to inspect the site and remove evidence.
Contact Vince Lattanzio at 610.668.5532, vince.lattanzio@nbcuni.com or follow @VinceLattanzio on Twitter.
