First, the victims. Nicholas Figueroa and Moises Locón died on March 26, 2015. Figueroa, 23, who had recently graduated from SUNY Buffalo State, was at Sushi Park, 121 Second Ave. between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place, and the site of the fatal blast, dining with a co-worker. Locón, 27, worked at Sushi Park.
However, Obus said he gave the defendants a break on their prison time because they were older and "did not intend to blow up the building."
"It's not enough. It’s a joke," Nixon Figueroa, father of Nicholas, told reporters afterward. "What kind of justice did you give us? You didn't give us no justice. It's a slap in my son’s face."
The explosion injured over 20 others and leveled three buildings — 19, 121 and 123 Second Ave. A condominium complex at 45 E. Seventh St. (above) sits on two of these three lots. A third lot remains vacant.
Here's some background about what has happened to date with those people who were convicted for their roles in the explosion.
In November 2019, a jury found landlord Maria Hrynenko, who took over ownership of the buildings after her husband, Michael, died in 2004, contractor Dilber Kukic, and unlicensed plumber Jerry Ioannidis guilty of manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, and related offenses for their role in the explosion.
Prosecutors said that Hrynenko, driven by greed, and her cohorts rigged an illegal system to funnel gas from 119 Second Ave. to 121 Second Ave. to save money.
In January 2020, they were each sentenced to four to 12 years in prison. Hrynenko remained out on bail for two more years as she waited for an appeal of the case.
During the sentencing, Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Michael Obus told the courtroom, "What the defendants did, in a matter of speaking, was roll the dice with the lives of many people. The results, as we know, are catastrophic."
However, Obus said he gave the defendants a break on their prison time because they were older and "did not intend to blow up the building."
"It's not enough. It’s a joke," Nixon Figueroa, father of Nicholas, told reporters afterward. "What kind of justice did you give us? You didn't give us no justice. It's a slap in my son’s face."
According to public records, Hrynenko, 65, was released from prison in October 2023 after serving 20 months. She was eligible for parole in November 2025. Her conditional release date was November 2029, and the maximum date is November 2033. It's not known at this moment why she was released early. Records show that she is under post-release supervision through April 2026.
Kukic, 49, served at the Wallkill Correctional Facility after sentencing in early 2020. He was released on parole last month. Ioannidis, 68, remains in custody at the Adirondack Correctional Facility in Essex County, N.Y. He is also eligible for parole in September.
Michael A. Hrynenko, Jr., Maria's son and a key figure in the gas explosion investigation, died on Aug. 25, 2017. He was 31, according to an obituary posted on the Pizzi Funeral Home website. The cause of death was never disclosed.
