Falling tree nearly hits professional cellist in Northwest DC
Apr 11, 2025
WASHINGTON (DC News Now) -- A tree that came tumbling down near Scott Circle in Northwest nearly hit a cellist who was in the area Thursday.
Carlos Figueroa, who also is known as Carlos Cello, said he was walking in the 1500 block of Massachusetts Ave. NW when he heard a loud sound. Figuroa said
the tree fell as he was passing under it, nearly crushing him.
"I just couldn't believe what I just witnessed," recalled Figueroa, who rushed away from the tree when he realized what was taking place. "You never know what will happen."
Neither he nor anyone else was hurt.
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The tree was outside of 1500 Mass Apartments, which is run by Equity Apartments. People who live there said they had been worried the tree would fall.
“It actually [has] been on the verge of coming down for a couple of months now, for like the last three or four months. It was withering away,” said Samuel Hall. “So, I thought that they would send somebody out.”
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Although the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) said the tree, which was on private property, was the building’s responsibility, DDOT crews responded to clear it after the tree fell in the public's right-of-way.
"It could have been a mother with her baby in the stroller or anything, you know...I'm just glad that no one got hurt," Hall said.
DC News Now reached out to Equity Apartments about the fallen tree, and it said it was looking into the incident. ...read more read less