Sign falls onto Center City street, narrowly missing pedestrians

PHILADELPHIA (FOX 29) - A sign fell off a building onto a Center City street and narrowly missed pedestrians Thursday.

"The whole side of the building was peeling off," Bernie Strain told FOX 29.

On his morning Wawa coffee run, Strain got more than a jolt of caffeine.

"Then, all the sudden I heard, bang," he explained.

That bang was metal letters from a sign falling to the Chestnut Street from two stories up.

"I lifted the umbrella and saw the big 50 pound letter hit the pavement at that point the other two letters come crashing down," he said.

Strain called 911 then started snapping pictures. Thursday morning's heavy rain and wind caused the siding of the building to rip off--just missing Strain and a homeless man on sleeping feet away.

"It could have been me and it could have been the innocent guy sleeping there minding his own business," Strain said.

Philadelphia fire crews shut down the sidewalk for the day. The building that's under construction is owned by the Church of Scientology. The Department of Licenses and Inspections tells FOX 29 the needed repairs have already been made.