Authorities have arrested five people in connection with the deadly gas explosion that took place in the East Village last year. Four of the five arrested have been charged with involuntary manslaughter as the explosion, killed two men, injured dozens of others and forced hundreds of people to vacate their homes.
The blast, which took place 121 Second Avenue and brought three buildings down to the ground, is now being said to be a direct result of “landlord hungry to cash in on soaring rents at the expense of doing the proper work to ensure the safety of both the residents in the building and the surrounding neighborhood,” according to Manhattan district attorney, Cyrus Vance Jr.
More below.
Dilber Kukic, a contractor; Athanasios Ioannidis, an unlicensed plumber; Maria Hrynenko, the owner of the building; and her son, Michael Hrynenko Jr. have been charged with involuntary manslaughter, while Andrew Trombettas, will face lesser charges for supplying his master license Ioannidis. The group plotted to illegally tap into a gas line meant for a lower level restaurant and on more than one occasion use it to supply recently renovated apartments in the floors above.
NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio, released a statement regarding the defendants saying they, “showed a blatant and callous disregard for human life.” He added, “We are heartened that today these defendants will be brought to justice and forced to answer for their criminal actions.”
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