East Village Streets Renamed For Victims Of Gas Explosion

EAST VILLAGE, NY — The East Village streets where a building exploded in 2015 have been renamed for the two victims who were killed in the disaster.

Community leaders and family members of the victims officially renamed portions of Seventh Street and Second Avenue on Saturday in honor of Nicholas Figueroa and Moises Locon, who were killed in the March 2015 explosion and subsequent blaze.

Local officials, including Council Member Rosie Mendez, unveiled new signs on Saturday for the northwest corner of Seventh Street and Second Avenue.

The incident injured a dozen additional people and destroyed three buildings in the neighborhood, after stemming from an illegal gas delivery system in one of the buildings, according to prosecutors. (For more information on this and other neighborhood stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

Four people are facing charges in connection with the explosion, including Maria Hrynenko, the landlord of the building at 121 Second Ave., where the explosion and fire began. All of the defendants have pleaded not guilty to the charges. Prosecutors say Hrynenko had set up a shoddy gas delivery system and, with her co-defendants, worked to bypass proper inspection by housing authorities. Hrynenko was charged with manslaughter, among other crimes. She and her co-defendants are still awaiting trial.

Image credit: Rainmaker Photo/MediaPunch/MediaPunch/IPx via Associated Press. Image caption: A sign near the site of the Second Avenue gas explosion at the East Village Explosion Day of Remembrance in 2016