Last spring, City Council approved co-naming the northwest corner of Seventh Street and Second Avenue Moises Locón and Nicholas Figueroa Way.
Locón, 27, and Figueroa, 23, were killed in the gas explosion here on March 26, 2015, that also destroyed three buildings, 119-123 Second Ave.
This Saturday morning at 11, city officials will be on-hand on this corner for the official co-name ceremony ...
Organizers who were behind the co-naming hope that the street sign bearing the names of the two men will both help commemorate their loss and serve as a warning against unscrupulous landlords.
In a story at DNAinfo on the co-naming proposal this past May, Ana Lanza, Figueroa's mother, said, "It's not going to bring him back — nothing is going to bring him back. But at least this brings a little bit of comfort, that he's going to be remembered somewhere, somehow. That his life wasn't taken in vain. That he meant something."
Authorities have said that illegally siphoned gas at 121 Second Ave. was to blame for the explosion. In February 2016, Manhattan DA Cyrus Vance's office charged landlord Maria Hrynenko and her son Michael Hrynenko Jr. 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.
According to an obituary, Michael Jr. died on Aug. 25 at age 31.
The criminal case has yet to go to trial while the multiple civil actions are still making their way through the courts.
Previously on EV Grieve:
Updated: 2nd Ave. explosion — landlord, 3 others charged with 2nd degree manslaughter; showed 'a blatant and callous disregard for human life'
Memorial for Mary Spink tomorrow
RIP Nicholas Figueroa
RIP Moises Ismael Locón Yac
A proposal to co-name part of 2nd Avenue and 7th Street after the victims of the 2015 gas explosion
Michael Hrynenko, Jr., awaiting trial for his role in the 2nd Avenue gas explosion, dies at 31
Why hasn't this gone to trial yet? Ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad this gives the family some comfort, but I'm sure for all concerned only a guilty verdict plus jail time and restitution will do. The next court date in the criminal trial is next Tuesday, October 17th. Given that we are rapidly getting closer to the holidays, they probably will adjourn and schedule another court date in mid-November or early December, and then do nothing again until next year because of the holidays. For some reason NY courts don't like doing anything substantial for a month before or after the major holidays, Since Maria Hrynenko is charged with second degree manslaughter, she faces 5-15 years, so this case will drag on for months if not years. Meanwhile we still haven't heard what happened to her son who died mysteriously. Was it a suicide? If so, did he leave a note revealing anything about this case? The total radio silence on his death suggests that it might reveal something about what happened in the explosion. For now, this street naming will have to do until our justice system gets all the holiday parties and shopping out of the way, because having once been a witness in a murder case, believe me, there's nothing festive about a manslaughter trial.
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ReplyDeleteCy Vance needs more time to determine if any of the defendants can donate money directly to his campaign. If yes then he will drop the charges, If no then he may actually prosecute. Democracy in action!
So when will Cy Vance step down or be fired? How can the city be rid of his guy?
ReplyDeleteThere's a movement afoot to write in Marc Flieder; if enough people do so it may help increase pressure on Vance to step down. http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/10/scandal-plagued-cy-vance-suddenly-has-a-write-in-challenger.html
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