Victim who died in NJ house explosion identified as 24-year-old man

ELIZABETH, N.J. (WABC) -- The man killed in a house explosion that injured more than a dozen others in New Jersey Wednesday has been identified.

Officials said 24-year-old Femi Brown, who lived on the second floor of the house on Magnolia Avenue in Elizabeth, died in the blast that destroyed the house and damaged adjacent and nearby buildings.

Brown's father, Isibor Brown, is struggling to come to grips with the loss of a son. He said his son was a hard worker whose life was getting on track.

Isibor Brown said his son's body landed on top of his girlfriend, and that may have saved her life. The girlfriend lived with the family of four, and was a couple of weeks pregnant.

Brown said he's upset now because he had smelled gas in the multi-family home on Tuesday but left it up to the landlord to contact the gas company.

In all, 15 people were injured - two of them critically - when the explosion happened at about 8 a.m. Victims described the scene as a nightmare.

Officials are pointing to gas as a possible cause of the explosion, but the investigation is still ongoing.

Meanwhile, the residents who live in that building have not been allowed in to get any belongings. The Red Cross is helping the 30 or more people who were displaced as a result of the blast.

Stay with abc7NY for the latest on this developing story.