Three Convicted of Manslaughter in New York City Blast

By Corinne Ramey

A building owner, plumber and contractor were convicted of manslaughter Friday for causing a 2015 explosion in Manhattan's East Village that killed two men and injured more than a dozen people.

After a two-month trial, a Manhattan jury convicted building owner Maria Hrynenko, plumber Athanasios "Jerry" Ioannidis and general contractor Dilber Kukic of manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and other crimes. Each defendant faces up to 15 years in prison on the most serious count.

On the afternoon of March 26, 2015, an explosion shook a Second Avenue block, shattering windows and sending flames shooting into the sky. The blast killed two: 23-year-old Nicholas Figueroa, who was dining in Sushi Park, a restaurant in one of the buildings, and 26-year-old Moises Locon, a restaurant employee.

Manhattan prosecutors said the explosion was the result of an unauthorized gas-delivery system created by the defendants. Their motive was to rent apartments, despite the fact that utility Consolidated Edison Inc. hadn't given approval for gas meters to be installed for residential units, prosecutors said.

"Development, construction and renovation is happening across the city at breakneck speed," Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. said when the defendants were indicted. "In this market, the temptation for property owners, contractors, and managers to take dangerous -- and, in some instances, deadly -- shortcuts has never been greater."

On Friday, Mr. Vance called the verdict "a big win for public safety in New York." Lawyers for the three defendants didn't respond to requests for comment.

During the trial in Supreme Court in Manhattan, the defendants' lawyers argued that the incident was a tragic accident, not a crime. Ms. Hrynenko was an inexperienced landlord, her attorney noted. The lawyers also suggested the restaurant, which no longer exists, had a history of gas issues in its kitchen.

In 2014, prosecutors said, Ms. Hrynenko signed leases with tenants at 121 Second Ave., a walk-up with Sushi Park on its ground floor. She directed Mr. Ioannidis, an unlicensed plumber, to use gas from the restaurant, prosecutors said.

After Con Ed workers found that gas hookup to be unsafe, the defendants rigged another delivery system, illegally connecting the apartments to a gas meter in an adjacent building, according to prosecutors. They said the system was located in the back of the adjacent building's basement, hidden from inspectors behind locked doors.

On March 26, 2015, when Con Ed workers showed up at the Sushi Park building for an inspection, the defendants turned off the gas between the buildings, prosecutors said. When they turned the gas back on they left valves open, prosecutors said, and gas flowed into the restaurant, ultimately causing the blast.

The defendants are scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 10.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

November 15, 2019 17:52 ET (22:52 GMT)

Consolidated Edison (NYSE:ED)
Historical Stock Chart
From Mar 2024 to Apr 2024