Monday, March 26, 2018

Today is the 3rd anniversary of the deadly 2nd Avenue gas explosion


[Photo from Friday]

Here are a few of the key dates since March 26, 2015...

February 2016 — Manhattan DA Cyrus Vance's office charges landlord Maria Hrynenko and four others with manslaughter and negligent homicide for their alleged role in the blast that killed two men and injured more than a dozen other people. There buildings — 119, 121 and 123 Second Ave. — were also destroyed.

Vance's office charged Hrynenko and her son, Michael Jr. Hrynenko, along with contractor Dilber Kukic and plumber Jerry Ioannidis with manslaughter in the second degree, criminally negligent homicide and assault in the second degree, among other charges. (The final defendant, licensed plumber Andrew Trombettas, was charged with offering a false instrument​,​ for allegedly lending his name and license number to paperwork.)

The five were accused of installing an illegal gas system, which they hid from inspectors, at 119 and 121 Second Ave. All five pleaded not guilty.

September 2016 — 123 Second Ave. sells for $6.6 million.

June 2017 — Hrynenko files a lawsuit, claiming that her management company was "careless and reckless" in its work. In the spring of 2015, as investigators focused on her actions, a lawyer for Hrynenko said that Con Edison bore responsibility for not shutting off the gas during the visit to the property earlier that day.

• June 2017 — Nexus pays $9.15 million for the empty lots at No. 119 and 121 between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place. Public records show that Maria Hrynenko's companies — MAH Realty and Kiev Realty — were the sellers.

• August 2017 — An obituary at the Pizzi Funeral Home website states that Michael Hrynenko Jr. died on Aug. 25. He was 31. A cause of death was not disclosed.

October 2017 — City officials unveil the new street blades that co-name the northwest corner of Second Avenue and Seventh Street after Moises Locón, 27, and Nicholas Figueroa, 23, who died in the gas explosion.

February 2018 — Nexus Building Development Group files plans to build a high-end condo at 119 Second Ave.

Postscript:

Hrynenko was expected to be back in court this past Friday. Records show that Hrynenko and the other accused have appeared in New York County Criminal Court 12 times since February 2016 with the same outcome — "adjourned/bail continued."

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

egregious miscarriage of justice

Anonymous said...

I cannot believe it's been three years :(

I've heard rumors of making that area a memorial park and sanctuary. I think its a good idea. Its looks sad being empty for this long.

RIP to those young men....

Anonymous said...

@10:25am: READ the article - the land has been bought by a DEVELOPER.

Meanwhile, it appears Hrynenko plans to "wait out" the justice system. Maybe she hopes she can be elsewhere (or dead) by the time she is ever called to account for this deathtrap she owned. Once again, justice delayed is justice denied.

Anonymous said...

Where is de Blasio? What a disgrace.

Anonymous said...

Thanks to Nexus, it looks like there's at least 9 million dollars for the Figueroa and Locon families to share. I sincerely hope they the go after the (surviving) Hrynenkos and the whole Kiev crew for every last penny.

unreceivedogma said...

Can’t believe it’s so long. So sad that it will be turned into another piece of real estate bling. I’m glad I moved (after 45 years in the hood).

Don't Mind Me... said...

DeBlasio does nothing unless it lines his pockets.

Has anyone confirmed that that piece of garbage really died?

Anonymous said...

I'm curious what DiBlasio is supposed to be doing that would make the posters happy?

Anonymous said...


@8:41
He's supposed to be seizing the land!

Anonymous said...

I'm no de Blasio fan, but through what legal means is the Mayor of NYC supposed to go through to seize this land? Please be specific and cite examples.