[Photo earlier today via Vinny and O]
This in from ABC-7 just after 4 p.m.:
Police say two bodies have been discovered in the rubble of an apparent gas explosion that leveled three buildings in Manhattan's East Village. The identification process is pending.
Two men in their 20's have been unaccounted for since the blast, Nicholas Figueroa and Moises Lucon.
30 comments:
My heart breaks for these two people and their family and friends. Two lives lost because of the greed and reckless behavior of others.
Oh, this is so sad and senseless. My condolences to their friends and families.
the landlord should have any other buildings she (it was a woman right?) owns taken away from her and she and the contractors should be in jail.
what a waste.
greed is now deadly.
greed is always deadly.
my heart goes out to everyone involved who have been displaced while losing everything they owned, and to the lives so senselessly lost...both human and animal.
My deepest condolences to the families, friends, and loved ones of those whose bodies have now been recovered.
This is beyond tragic; I really want to hear the landlady's defense of her behavior. "It's how we do in old country" isn't gonna cut it.
There are reports that the building management specifically asked residents of 121 Second NOT to report gas odors to 911 or ConEd but to them directly.
This is beyond criminal. These vultures need to be in jail.
RIP Nicholas Figueroa and Moises Ismael Locón Yac.
Fuck.
I am heartbroken and so sad for all involved. I hate that society makes the pursuit of money so important. I hope one day people can learn the value of friends and experiences over material possessions. My thoughts and love are with the families that lost their family members, homes and businesses that are closed
Very sad. And someone will profit from it, I'm sure. I want to keep an eye out for who that is.
Horrible. Just Horrible. My thoughts and prayers to the victims, friends, and their families, and to all the living victims and animals who lost their homes, belongings and pets in this terrible tragedy. f you want to donate clothing, LES Ready is taking them at 169 Ave. B between 10 and 11 St. There are signs posted at the library on 10th and I took stuff there so I know they are definitely taking donations there.
I hope the landlord gets their ass sued off and hauled to State Prison. ConEd too. We've reported gas leaks to them and found their response to be incompetent.
Nicholas Figueroa's family just identified his body. Source: NY1
I'm so sorry for the loss of your young, handsome boy, Figueroa family. Every picture shows him with such a wonderful smile. RIP
I am so sad for the two men who lost their lives, the others who were injured and traumatized, and the pets who have died and gone missing.
This is a wake up call to all of us who live in this neighborhood. There are too many landlords here doing shady things. Now is the time to organize with fellow tenants in your building to get your landlords to address issues in your buildings, especially ones relating to safety.
We have to start looking out for ourselves because there are too many landlords who aren't looking out for us. As we have seen here, there are instances where our lives can depend on it.
I am speechless with sorrow.
A Figueroa family spokesperson confirmed late this afternoon that the body of Nicholas was recovered.
RIP
CHurt said...
Very sad. And someone will profit from it, I'm sure. I want to keep an eye out for who that is.
The developer who's awarded this prime corner buildable site, of course.
A case of Landlord greed a lesson for all of us in the village lives matter.
The contractor and the landlord should be charged with homicide and the landlord should lose the building. When is the city going to say "enough" to this corruption and greed?
Agree with person who said this is a wake up call for us who live here. My landlord is no saint and a lot of my neighbors with different landlords have horror stories of their own. Sounds familiar right? Heard this landlord owns a building on my block which is a block away from 2nd ave and 7th ..Landlord belongs in jail and where is this greedy individual anyeay? RIP to those who met an untimely passing.
I looked at the Department of Buildings site tonight and checked on my East Village building, and while there are no violations, there is also no record of permits for all of the construction work done to renovate the apartments as long-time tenants have moved out over the last few years.
I think the landlord of this building (and/or the son) were the propriators of Kiev.
I moved from Saint Marks Place and 2nd 3 months ago after living there 38 years. For the first 20 years I lived there I thanked God that I found a place that I could belong. The last 20 not so much.
Our gas was cut off for a year because of a gas leak and my landlord's solution was to buy us a toaster oven. (We subsequently won an abatement in court). Our stoop collapsed and my landlord's solution was that we climb in from the fire escape next door. (We subsequently won an abatement in court.)
We had scaffolding in front of the building for nearly 6 years that obstructed virtually all the light to the lower half of the building. We had rats. We had mice. The ceiling collapsed (more than once).
Every couple of months or so there would be a gushing flood from a broken pipe and we would not have water for days. No heat. No hot water. I could go on and on.
Now I paid a very low rent stabilized rent, but most of the other tenants were at market. The building was cited by the fire department so many times, we got to know the inspectors by name. An architect told me he thought the building had about 10 years left because of structural damage.
This is the East Village housing stock. Yet, I was able to stand it for all those years because of the greatness of my neighbors and neighborhood. Now everyone seems a boor and every restaurant is overpriced and every other type of business has gone out.
What can say. It was the greatest. Now, I am afraid to say that lots of people are living in jeopardy in rickety tenements for top dollar.
I always thought it would kill me to leave the EV, now I just feel relieved.
I lived in a building on 7th Street where the landlords moved a pipe from the laundry dryer under my window that leaked toxic fumes into my apartment making me very sick and claimed they were "fixing it" which consisted of wrapping what looked like masking tape around it, or would move me which then they wouldn't have to fix - the landlord specifically stating how expensive it is.The city confirmed the fumes/exhaust was leaking out but didn't help enough and all they did was have them move it but use the same materials, they also were switching to gas. They shut it down for a bit but had no intention of fixing it they just shut it down until they moved me which never happened. It was done by their own contractor and instead of wanting to fix the problem they were threatening and fought against it. I had to move because of it. It is very scary that they can get away with these things. Unbelievable.They need to be monitored much more closely.
this is horrible. there are no words. just heartbreaking. lets think about these people and their families before our hearts focus on blame
Anonymous 12:02 makes a very good point. The condition of the tenements hasn't changed much since the time of Jacob Riis. Every one of these buildings is in jeopardy or burning.
m2ndSt: We are all sad about the victims and thinking about them and trying to help them. But we also need to get right to figuring out what happened and finding those involved. This could happen again. Anyone who lives in an apartment without a gas/electric meter needs to investigate now. I would call ConEd and request an immediate inspection.
Crazy idea--maybe we should wait for facts to come out before deciding whose head should be called for? I wouldn't be surprised if ConEd was to blame for the whole thing. They were on the scene pretty much right before it happened.
But, we don't know what happened yet. Until then, condolences for the families of these two men and may they rest in peace.
It is very suspicious to hear rumors that some of these units were rent controlled. That is a serious motive for foul play or planned "negligence" if it is true.
les native, It's not suspicious at all. Rent-controlled apartments are only going to exist in buildings that are prone to burning completely. A more modern building, with fire retardant materials, won't have rent-controlled apartments.
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