Yes! How could they not be punished for the deaths of two innocent young men? What is wrong with this country?????
9
so ghost ship
Yesterday the NYT declared DOB’s code enforcement to be overzealous and abusive for ‘ordinary people.’ Yesterday we cried for duplex owners in Queens Village, today we condemn 20-unit owners on the East Village. It’s the NYT stoking classist resentment among readers. Both owners should be subject to code enforcement equally; NYT would prefer to equivocate and handpick who follows what rules according to whom they deem ‘ordinary.’
3
DA Vance should prosecute the CEOs and boards of directors of the opioid drug companies. It would be at the very least negligent homicide and much easier to prove. But, as a rule, American justice avoids prosecuting the 'big guys" and they continue their rape of the 99 percent.
1
Yes they should go to prison!
They killed two people, injured and endangered countless others, and destroyed half a city block. For what? Because they were greedy.
All of them absolutely knew what they were doing was wrong, or else they wouldn’t have thought to hide the illegal hookups behind a locked door and used an unlicensed plumber to do the work.
8
Let's see. Two people killed. Two buildings destroyed. Multiple businesses wiped out. The responsible parties were trying to circumvent gas meters and stealing gas.
Prison for the responsible parties? Absolutely! A no-brainer.
13
Absolutely, they should get prison time. That, and (or?) be stripped of all of their financial assets so that the proceeds go to the family of those negligently murdered (homicide) and those who were injured, including people who lost their homes and belongings in the fire.
Additionally, the perpetrators ought be stripped of their professional licenses and any work permits, and not be allowed to own or work in residential rental real estate in the future.
7
Gas explosions are difficult to cause. A small leak won't ordinarily cause an explosion because a high concentration (far above the point where one smells gas) is required.
In this case, the direct cause of the explosion was not shoddy work. It was the result of values being left open after a pressure test of the gas lines. This allowed a tremendous amount of gas (vastly more than would come from a small leak) to mix with the air in the building when the gas supplied through the illegal connection from the other building.
Clearly, no one involved in the illegal connection had anticipated this possibility, as demonstrated by the death of Mr. Hrynenko, not really explained in the article, but presumably due to injuries suffered in the explosion.
This article uses words like "greed" to arose an emotional response in the reader. But, one might want to better understand just why property owners need to take such shortcuts. Why weren't they able to get a proper gas connection?
This article provides further explanation of the "crackdown" on property owners in New York who undertake work without permits. But also demonstrates unintended consequences of a process which encourages property owners to do work without permits.
9
No one "needs" to take shortcuts. It's a choice, and a bad one -- a deadly one.
9
They are guilty at least of criminally negligent homicide. Particularly the late Mr. Hrynenko and Mr. Kukic, who did not call 911 when they realized there was a serious problem because they didn't want to get caught in their scheme. They put their interests before the lives of their tenants. That is depraved indifference to human life.
25
@Paul The larger question is whether the city enforces the laws which would prevent this. Are landlords all over the city doing the same thing because they are unlikely to be caught? I suspect this is a central issue. not explored by the NYT, and just another example of how public interest is subverted by private profit.
9
Yes, he should go to prison
19
Yes. Let them be the examples they law always talks about.
20
Unless I messed something, Com-ed cut corners and did not maintain infrastructure and kills 8 people. No criminal charges. Building owner cuts corners and kills 2 people and is indicted for murder. So, killing people is OK if you are a big corporation but not if you are an individual. An we wonder why people got so cynical they voted for Trump?
13
@JS you said it
The answer to the headline question is YES. Criminal charges must be brought and proven but ultimately, this is a crime, not merely negligence but demonstrates indifference to human life.
25
The headline asks a question: I believe the answer is yes, if they are tried and convicted. A civil suit would similarly strip them of their ill gotten gains.
20
Out of greed, and no sense of responsibility or concern for safety issues, this woman syphoned gas from one location to another to save money at enormous proven risk to others in the human race. The explosion killed two young men, on a beautiful day that they should have enjoyed, as well as demolished an entire building with 100s of people displaced; the former residents of the building, permanently displaced from their homes, where they lost everything they had, every memento, every picture, everything. I remember this day well. The smell of smoke was all over the vicinity. Walking past the empty lot was a constant reminder of the two boys killed. This woman should not appreciate any gain from her cruel, miserly, dishonest performance of her duties as a landlord. She was criminally responsible for her actions. There is not other choice but to convict and sentence her in punishment. This is an case warranting true punishment.
36
We seem to be picking our murderers lately.
The building owners seem the right fodder for irate crowds -- perhaps because they own a building. Their cutting corners in order to save money resulted in people's deaths. Anyone with half a brain knows you shouldn't fool with gas.
Hit-and-run drivers and drunk and drug-impaired drivers routinely kill people, many people, but we never call them murderers and holler and cry for their immediate incarceration. Such people hardly ever even make the newspaper. You have to wonder why.
Anyone with half a brain should know that you shouldn't drive drunk or high.
The Staten Island woman who, admittedly, should not have been driving (but should drunk drivers? should sociopaths who won't stop?), was hounded until she committed suicide. She certainly had been warned not to drive, but really, how many guys who kill people go and commit suicide? There's something fishy about whom we choose to excoriate and condemn.
I'm okay with manslaughter charges, but I'd like that for lots of others too.
9
I suspect you yourself have a healthy income. Let me say this: In the contemporary U.S., it's harder to get a white collar perpetrator of a crime of greed behind bars than to get a camel through the eye of a needle.
When drunk drivers or other vice-impaired behavior results in serious injury or death, the courts do recognize that DUI (or the like) aggravates the crime, expresing reckless disregard for others.
But crimes of greed that ravage or destroy lives deserve special opprobrium and condemnation because killing someone -or allowing someone to be killed- for money so one can have a nicer car, home or vacation or bank account is a more conscious and calculated devaluation of others' lives than succumbing to a liquor craving or the bad judgment liquor can promote. That's terrible, odious behavior, but it's more a self-control issue gone catastrophic than a willful nullification of others' worth. Often these DUI crimes result from emotionally desperate and unstable people relying on liquor to self-medicate. Partyjng teens in this situation another story, but even then I can be sympathetic to a degree because impulse control and self-awareness for teens are often harder challenges.
When someone with milions needs some extra millions, excuses evaporate. Greed should be considered severe aggravating factor. White collar crime is treated too leniently. When it results in death, it should be treated like a killing in an armed robbery, which in effect is what it is.
24
@B. Maybe in New York a drunk driving conviction in a fatal accident doesn’t get jail time but in 1984 a person I knew well killed two people in a dui accident and did 10 years for each and would have done more time but the county that it happened in was also at fault for not marking a road closing that both vehicles had they seen any signs probably wouldn’t have been on that stretch of road. That was corrected before morning to absolve the county of any liability
11
You expect that I have a healthy income, do you?
I wouldn't make assumptions.
I said that manslaughter charges would be appropriate for the building owners. I'd like to have seen the same for the drunk driver who killed one of my teenaged students. But as I said, we choose to call only some murderers, if the Times comments sections are to be trusted.
6
Of course the owner of the building is negligent and should be charged. This is all about greed and the belief of these landlords that they do not have to comply with city and state law and building codes. Well they do.
27
Criminally negligent, I contend. It is not just a matter of being lazy or forgetful
16
"But legal experts and defense lawyers say that it is difficult to convince a jury that someone is guilty of manslaughter in cases where slipshod construction work has led to deaths."
I shook with anger and pain when I read this statement in the article. The actions were reckless, illegal and done out greed.
The deliberate actions, not slipshod construction, caused loss of life and homes. Families of the dead will feel pain and loss forever.
45
@WhoMe, yes that is an awfully matter-of-fact (but true enough) statement by the journalist. Plausible deniability remains a judicial menace.
1
what awful people
put them away
40
This article raises specious arguments which slanted to protect those business interests causes them to act in complete disregard for the safety of others. Business and property owners can flout laws, cause deaths and destruction, show an utter lack of regard for public safety and then hire attorneys to argue that their actions and results are civil rather than criminal matters. If these persons were not property and business owners they would have charged with murder and held without bail until trial.
In another article in the media today is story of the attempted jailing of a mentally ill person for 4 years for stealing 8 pairs of socks from a department store in Manhattan. That's four years in prison for 8 pairs of socks at taxpayers expense!
Who are we kidding?
39
Manslaughter might be tough sell (according to the experts the Times contacted), but for criminally negligent homicide you only have to prove that they failed to perceive a substantial risk that their actions or inactions would result in another person's death.
11
Yes, committing a crime that leads to the death of an innocent person . . . we have laws about this.
23
The gas line did not kill 2 people. The explosion did.
3
No those who
Skirted the law caused the gas explosion not the gad
9
@Henry The explosion did not kill two people. Their injuries did.
2
Assuming that the facts in the article are true, the landlord should forfeit the building and, more importantly, be barred from being a landlord. As far as the criminal case goes, let the prosecution present its case, let the landlord defend, and let the court (judge or jury, defendant's choice) decide.
33
but basically, you recommend a life sentence against the landpord on ever owning a rental property again.
1
@bored critic
If someone takes shortcuts that result in death, they should be prohibited from owning income properties. If someone through negligent driving causes a death, they should lose their driver's license.
The dead people lost their lives. Losing a privilege is nothing by comparison.
I say this as someone who has owned income properties for 18 years.
20
@bored critic Yes, that is correct. The landlord did something completely illegal, that risked not only her tenants, but as shown, the entire neighborhood. The explosion - caused by her illegal acts - killed two young men, displaced residents from their homes forever, demolished a building, caused a fire that injured others and wiped out buildings. Why in the world would she be competent to own any other income producing properies? Would you want to rent an apt from her?
11
Of manslaughter... right. People burned to death because of her. While they were alive their flesh melted and sizzled off their bones, because of her. This is not manslaughter. This is murder.
Any fool knows that you don't play cheap with gas lines because very, very bad things happen. She simply didn't care. There was money to be had and the consideration that people may actually burn to death because of her greed never even gave her pause.
96
The headline asks a question the answer is yes.
43
The risks are obvious when dealing with gas lines. It's GAS. The risks are triply obvious when you're a landlord and you've had permitting issues. How can they NOT convinct these people of manslaughter?
47
@AP, this could actually be considered third-degree murder, because it's so reckless and negligent.
Of course.
They are certainly as guilty as the driver in an armed heist whose partner shoots the store’s guard dead.
28
“Acting recklessly” — hiring an unlicensed contractor with a fake license to gin up a DIY gas line when the utility company refused to do it is, uh, what? “Disregarded the potential risk of death to others” — uh, gas is flammable, right? Most people know that. “The risks were not something that a reasonable person would have ignored.” — gas explosions have been blowing up buildings and killing people since the 19th century, and you're going to ignore that? Seriously, this case ought to be a slam dunk. What kind of court system have you people got where this kind of manslaughter is “hard to prove”?
76
Those accused were not just negligent, they deliberately broke the law; more than one. They also deliberately mis-led inspectors and even once busted, they jerryrigged more gas lines. I hope they lose everything and receive jail time.
71
Yes. So should the contractor who jury rigged the gas license without a license. This is also not "slip shod construction" as the article states.
26
So greed played a primary role.
Why am I not surprised.
14
This is a financial crime. We don't send such people to prison. Prison terms for financial crimes is what one would expect in a nation more civilized than we are.
6
@Eric Jensen
Did you miss the part about people dying as a foreseeable result?
8
A financial crime is tax fraud. This is not a financial crime.
They broke laws and put peoples lives at risk and after being caught they did it again.
4
@Coyoty Did you miss the sarcasm/irony?
3
"An Illegal Gas Line Killed 2 People. Should the Landlord Go to Prison?"
They did something illegal, and it led to the deaths of 2 people.
Why is that even a question?
61
How is this even a question? We send people to prison for murder if they were driving a car used in a robbery where a murder was committed, even if they were never aware of the murder.
If your voluntary behavior contributes to another person's death, whether it's an illegal gas pipe, slamming your car into a pedestrian, or helping someone else commit a crime, then you should share responsibility for that person's death.
26
The landlady and her accomplices knowingly rigged the illegal gas lines so are guilty of negligent homicide at least. As a new, much larger building rises on the site I have to ask who stands to profit from that building? The same landlady who will now be rewarded for her actions? What happened to the people who lost their apartments in the fire? Do they get new apartments in the new buildings at the same rents? Will the new building include the same amount of rent stabilized apartments as was in the destroyed buildings? Or does the landlady again make financial gains for her negligence?
30
As someone in the construction industry, I have long been shocked that people are not held accountable -- from Flint, MI's outrageous drinking water situation (on all levels) to liability in a situation like this where rules about gas...GAS...installations are flouted.
And arguing the intent?? If I am driving drunk, it doesn't matter that I didn't "intend" to injure anyone .
These people must be held to account for criminal behavior.
48
Why is this a question?
Of couse they should go to prison.
They had a clear standard of care, the knew of the standard of care, they knew the possible consequences and they profited from an illegal act that led to death and destruction.
The only question is "Manslaughter or suicide."
15
Landlords, most of them, strive to improve the standard of livings for their tenants. They understand that the rental market is a highly competitive market and lapses in amenities and services lead to undesirable vacancies.
Rent control and increasing regulations cut down the amounts of $$$ landlords can allocate towards capital expenditure. That eventually leads to swindlin n dealin.
This said, Hrynenkos needs to get locked up. You don't brink in Soviet-style industry practice in NY and assume the law will protect you.
4
Hold on Con Ed had turned off service and then put it back on. So if they just kept it off until better examination nothing would have occurred. Did Con Ed tell any of the tenants living there what had happened. If not they are a party to this tragedy. Why can’t Con Ed inspect all buildings and tell us what they are doing . The city has construction on every block right now I think the landlord and Con Ed should be held responsible.
2
@Ralph Petrillo
After Con Ed cut the building off, the owner --and her workers -- rigged gas from another building! Con Ed is NOT responsible for that!
24
For 20 years I was a NYC licensed home improvement contractor, I am writing on a family member's Times account. I couldn't operate profitably and also legally, so I left.
A lot of you wanted me to perform work without permits, some of which you knew was out of compliance, some of which was dangerous, because you didn't want to pay. It is not just that you didn't want to pay for licensed trades, often a few hours of work for a few thousand dollars; you knowingly wanted to pay me in cash to help me evade payroll taxes and workers' comp insurance. Some of you explained how you would keep the inspectors out.
If I didn't do it, you kept looking for somebody who would.
A lot of contractors have noses and can sniff out all kinds of illegal and dangerous work, long before the smell is gas, but our relationship with the city is stupidly adversarial.
I think the Times knows about this story, from the POV of workers, and doesn't think you would be interested.
Of course, this building had more than 4 residential units, so the owner wasn't protected by the same city agency protecting you from me. It's different. It's not like you were asking somebody in your home to endanger themselves or others, to avoid paying money to do things right. Or, is it?
29
It’s possible to work that is over specification without permits too. Your contention is that all non permitted work is shoddy when this is not actually the case. Most coops are self-certifying and do not require permits. What we have in this case is not only extreme routing of a flammables line but deception as it’s existence. I’m a union painter and know lifelong contractors that would never put lives in danger whether or not a permit is involved.
2
@South Of Albany
I should have included, I was known in NYC as "Green Mountain."
I was not suggesting that all non-permitted work is shoddy.
True, most contractors go out of our way to protect buildings and occupants, no matter how badly we are regarded for holding parking spaces near our jobs.
Coop share holders are required to obtain permits and board approvals. You can look it up on the DOB site by address.
1
Someone took a shortcut out of greed and it ended up killing two people? How is that a question?
17
Their illegal actions led to two deaths. It should be as simple as that, they killed these people by acting both recklessly and illegally. If the driver of a getaway car can be prosecuted for murder when someone is killed during the robbery, this should be a slam dunk.
11
I grew up in NYC. Crookedness and scheming are endemic in the City. Nothing new here. And, by the way, the Crookedness starts at the very top in NYC. Don't let this story suggest that it's just the 'little people' who are crooked.
6
Yes, justice should prevail. We all have to pay gas bills. Greed to save a few pennies and take 2 lives should not pass by with a slap on the wrist.
10
Interestingly, there is another article in this newspaper today about illegally installed gas lines:
"The Law Was Aimed at Deadly Machinery. It Hit Her Washer."
In that article, the woman in question was cited by Department of Building inspectors for a washer, dryer, and bathroom installed in her building's cellar without a permit. The DOB citations shown in that article specifically call out a gas line installed without a permit to service the dryer.
The text highlights the expensive fines issued by the Department of Buildings for violations like this, and the majority of reader comments on that article call out against the injustice and overreach of the Department of Buildings in persecuting this woman and others.
Meanwhile the majority of comments on this article understandably rail against the Landlord's greed, even calling for jailtime and manslaughter charges.
I for one am thankful that the Department of Buildings is busy investigating and issuing citations for serious violations like illegal gas lines.
After all, the building permit system is the main defense we have in this City against greedy careless owners and shoddy construction work, both of which endanger all New Yorkers.
14
@Schultzie. Good point.
Why are these people being shackled? Are they truly a flight risk or pose an imminent physical danger to anyone in the courtroom? This is the theatrics of our judicial system branding everyone accused of a crime guilty before their trial. Where's the presumption of innocence?
1
They broke laws. That is a fact.
The landlord and the unlicensed contractor broke lots of laws - serious important laws - and they did it knowingly. They were not just greedy, they were thieves. That gas was stolen from Con Edison, for years. As a direct result of their knowing actions, two people died and many were badly injured. Any remorse? Nope - they tried to cover up their crimes.
Criminal and civil penalties should put all of them in jail and out of business.
32
I remember reading about this story when it happened. I'm happy to see prosecutors follow up. I am no lawyer, but I see what looks like a case for manslaughter. How could any adult be unaware that tapping a gas line next to a commercial kitchen is a recipe for disaster? The landlord and her contractors clearly knew but didn't care. I know what I would be thinking if I were on that jury.
19
"...Con Edison did not approve the gas lines for the apartments." This property owner took special steps to undermine Con Ed's concerns, and compliance/safety were the last thing on her mind. Criminal, yes. But also she and her insurer have civil liability.
21
The landlord and the contractor that did the work should both go to jail.
The whole reason we have regulations is to stop something like this from happening.
30
The fact that the two men were running to a definitive destination in response to new information about the smell of gas seems to indicate pretty strongly that they had awareness of something amiss and knew the location to inspect to correct it.
33
Absolutely YES. One of my oldest childhood friends grew up in the neighborhood knows the landlord and her family. For years they thought they were smarter than everyone else and were entitled to "not follow the rules" (much like they did in Ukraine to protest against Soviet rule). Well, guess what? This is America, and although not perfect by any means, safety rules and regulations were not meant to oppress you, but to protect human lives. As many anti immigrant commentators like to say, if you come to this country, you live by our rules.
50
@Betti - How is it "anti immigrant" to expect immigrants to abide by the rules (laws?) of the nation where they have CHOSEN to immigrate to?
@Really because there seem to be two tiers of immigrants in this country. Those from Latin America who are constantly being accused of not following the rule of law, and those from Europe for whom we seem to have a blind eye. There are many illegal Eastern Europeans in NY (go to Astoria and the Bronx) and some (not all, obviously) are involved in illegal activities (again, I invite you to check on the Albanian community in the Bronx). I agree immigrants must follow the rule of law - all immigrants, including those whose physical appearance doesn't seem to cause as much anguish and fear.
11
This and similar incidents have resulted in new regulations. Henceforth, buildings must have all exposed gas pipes inspected every five years by a licensed plumber. This will be an additional cost for building owners, but one that might save lives.
16
This sounds like a giveaway to licensed plumbers. It would make more sense to more harshly punish the plumbers who lend their credentials to those who do illegal and unsafe work, such as that described in the article. That plumber should be facing manslaughter charges, too.
5
@David. Frying a few landlords and contractors might be cheaper.
1
Unequivocal yes. And, on the same subject, I'm tired of human decision makers who cause grief, death, pollution, destruction hiding behind the corporate veil. As has been said before, I'll believe corporations are people when one is sent to jail.
31
The greed here is beyond belief.. It's not enough that some of these property owners that bought these buildings decades ago and now collect the original cost of the building in one month's rent of time . Then they feel the need to maximize all revenue while cutting corners. hope she gets whats coming to her.
62
I don't understand why these people shouldn't be in prison for manslaughter. What's the point of having a criminal system if people are not held responsible for harming other people?
89
The criminal justice system is meant for the “little people”.
4
I don't understand the difficulty in finding the landlord and her cohorts guilty. They knew that what they were doing was illegal and just plain wrong.
74
She knew. Her collaborators knew. Everyone knew what they were doing was illegal, and they did not care.
Premeditated murder comes in all shapes and sizes. Their dedication to themselves, and only to themselves at the known cost of what "could" happen, happened. Lives were lost, others were hurt, and for all those involved the emotional, mental, physical, and financial carnage (in all likelihood) is ever-present.
Let justice prevail and those who knowingly put others in harm's way be held responsible for their actions.
I hope the judicial system does not let the victims and their families down.
111
@JustMe I so agree. Someone needs to pay for the loss of lives and the inconvenience of the ones who lost everything in their units. They knew what they were doing and all for profit. Justice must prevail
43
@JustMe
Let me correct that:
I hope the jurors do not let the victims and their families down.
8
@James, Jurors are indeed the last line of defense especially in this kind of situation. Society needs to send a message here, because this is a crime that, while easy to trace back after the fact, is difficult to prevent and tempting for those in control of real estate to commit.
1
We all come to the road in life where we make choices for things. If I do this what can happen? if I do that what can happen? We have to live with our choice. Someone here made a bad choice. Pepole died as of that choice. Someone must pay the price for that choice.
76
@frank monaco, I so agree justice must prevail for all those victims that have perished and those who will suffer mentally physically emotionally
3