East Village raps weighed against six ix
Investigators are looking at potential murder charges in the deadly East Village building blast, lawenforcement sources told The Post on Tuesday.
There are six prime suspects in the March 26 explosion and fire at 121 Second Ave. — including landlord Maria Hrynenko; her son, Michael Jr., who was injured in the blast; and Bronx contractor Dilber Kukic, who also was hurt but who carried Michael to safety, the sources said.
Also under investigation is an unidentified subcontractor and two workers, the sources said.
Officials suspect the inferno was sparked by an illegally tapped gas line.
“If we can show that there was depraved indifference and reckless disregard for a grave risk to human life, it’s possible that someone could be charged with second degree murder,” a source said. “Ultimately, it’s going to be up to the DA’s office and, most likely, a grand jury, but we’re not ruling that out as we gather evidence.”
In addition to murder — which carries a maximum 25 years to life in the slammer — other charges said to be under consideration include seconddegree manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide.
On Monday, The Post exclusively reported that a plumber had confessed to illegally tapping into a gas line, but said he did it on orders from Michael Jr.
A lawenforcement source said Tuesday that the plumber was trying to cut a deal for his testimony but that authorities haven’t yet decided whether to strike a bargain or use the plumber’s statement against him.
Prosecutors plan to present evidence in the case to a grand jury, but charges aren’t expected for at least a month, the source said.
The source also said that a licensed master plumber, Andrew Trombettas, who last year got a permit to do gasline work in the building, was not currently suspected of complicity in the blast.
Trombettas is under investigation for possibly selling the use of his license so someone else could work there and could face a charge of falsifying business records, the source said.
Kukic’s lawyer, Mark Bederow, said, “The events of March 26 were a terrible tragedy. To suggest that Mr. Kukic had an utter disregard for the value of human life when he likely saved a man’s life by pulling him out of the danger zone is at the same time ironic and beyond the pale.”
Neither of the Hrynenkos nor Trombettas returned calls for comment.
Meanwhile, hundreds of mourners packed an Upper West Side church on Tuesday for the funeral of Nicholas Figueroa, 23, who was killed while on a date at the Sushi Park restaurant at 121 Second Ave.
Tears streamed down the face of mom Ana Lanza as she rubbed Nicholas’ casket at the Church of the Holy Name of Jesus.
Nicholas’ brother Brandon Figueroa, who served as a pallbearer along with his dad and two other brothers, said, “I’m going to spend my life remembering him.”
Nicholas’ former Boy Scout leader eulogized him as a “pillar of the community” whose good deeds helped him achieve scouting’s highest honor, becoming an Eagle Scout.
A funeral service was also held Tuesday in Jamaica for the other blast victim, Sushi Park busboy Moises Locon, 27.
His brother Zacarias said the family was still making arrangements to send Moises’ body to his native Guatemala for burial.