Five people are facing criminal charges in connection to the massive explosion that rocked the East Village last spring, a blast that leveled three buildings, caused dozens of injuries, and killed two people.
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The blast was “foreseeable, preventable and completely avoidable”, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance said at a news conference.
Hrynenko, her son Michael, Ioannidis and Kukic are charged with second-degree manslaughter, second-degree assault, criminally negligent homicide, third-degree assault, and second-degree reckless endangerment.
If convicted of the highest charge of manslaughter in the second degree, Hrynenko, her son, Ioannidis, and Kukic face up to 15 years in prison.
Investigators believe that the building’s gas line had been improperly set up to feed more units than it was supposed during building renovations. The explosion was caused by an illegal gas hookup that the building owner and contractors built to evade Consolidated Edison safety standards, according to the indictments. Trombettas, who allegedly provided Ionnidis with an illegal license, has been charged with offering a false instrument for filing.
His license will be revoked, prosecutors said. Kukic in turn hired Ioannidis, an unlicensed plumber, as a subcontractor. That widespread bribery probe, conducted by the city’s Department of Investigation, led to the indictment of 50 inspectors and business owners.
Kukic was the general contractor for construction at the site; and Hrynenko is the owner of the building.
It was March 26, 2015, when the building blew.
Officials have said that the inferno was sparked by an illegally tapped gas line.
Before listing the charges, the Manhattan DA acknowledged Nicholas Figueroa, 23, and Moises Locon, 26, both of whom had been inside Sushi Park restaurant at 121 Second Avenue on the afternoon of the blast and were ultimately killed, their bodies pulled from the wreckage days later. The only way to identify his remains was through DNA testing. At least a dozen were injured in the blast and fire, three critically.
Stories of heroism emerged from that day, including an off-duty firefighter who was nearby when the building exploded. After Kukic and Ioannidis investigated the smell, they ran from the building without alerting anyone inside, Vance said.
As Shepherd descended the fire escape, the fire was so hot it melted the soles of his shoes.
But they cautioned against cutting corners to save a buck, especially when lives are at stake.
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“I think this sends a message that we’re not going to tolerate this garbage”, said Robert Boyce, chief of detectives for the NYPD. “But tragically they never re-closed the valves that they had opened in order for the gas to go up to the apartments during the pressure test by ConEd”, Vance said.
