New Yorkers rescued from pile of mangled scaffolding blown down in strong winds

Heavy scaffolding and planks of wood came crashing down on top of two New York pedestrians today after heavy winds hit the city.

Footage from the accident shows a group of New Yorkers swarming over a large pile of debris, desperately trying to clear the wreckage from two trapped people.

Remarkably, authorities confirmed no one was seriously hurt in the scaffold accident in lower Manhattan, which was caused by wind gusts of up to 80 km/h.

New Yorker Jonathan Mejia told The New York Post he watched the scaffolding break and come crashing down at the corner of Prince and Broadway.

"I saw it fall, I heard a banging, wood falling. It was really loud," he told The Post.

"There was someone underneath that needed my help. We started moving things away. There were maybe 15 of us," he said.

FDNY Deputy Chief Joseph Lonino said two people, including a woman, had been trapped and three others had also suffered light injuries.

Strong winds wreaked damage across Manhattan and other New York boroughs on Monday (AEDT).

In another incident, a video posted to Twitter shows a massive window-cleaning platform swaying back and forth in the wind and smashing repeatedly into a tower block.

Weather bureaus had advised New Yorkers to stay indoors during a day of wild winter weather.