Somber anniversary in East Village, 2 years after deadly gas explosion
EAST VILLAGE, Manhattan (WABC) -- It was a sad anniversary in the East Village this weekend, marking two years since a deadly gas line explosion.
Two makeshift grave sites sit fenced in at a lonely corner lot on Second Avenue and East 7th Street. It is where one man went and took a love interest for sushi, and where another was making an honest living. Neither of the men went home.
Nick Figueroa and Moises Locon died two years ago Sunday, when investigators say an illegal gas hookup caused a massive explosion that killed two people and injured 22.
As a result, five people, the building owner, Maria Hryenkoc, her manager son, and three contractors were all charged with manslaughter. The master plumber is charged with falsifying documents. The trial is pending.
"It seems like yesterday," says business owner Mariann Marlowe.
In the last two years, Marloe has been able to rebuild, and other businesses on the block have bounced back, but a handful of that were leveled never reopened. As for those who lost loved ones in the explosion, there is really no bouncing back from that.
RELATED: Exclusive video shows moment of East Village explosion.
