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Teaneck, NJ - Fatal Gas Explosion In Frum Community Kills Elderly Man. PHOTOS |
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Teaneck, NJ - A house exploded in Teaneck, N.J., around 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, News 4 New York has learned.
Police, fire and emergency services are on the scene at 1320 Hastings St., near Reis Avenue. There were reports of one injury due to flying debris, but that person's condition is not known at this time.
The house was leveled and the explosion caused four nearby houses to catch fire, according to fire authorities. Firefighters are on the scene trying to put the flames out. The explosion also damaged the windows of houses located across the street.
Emergency crews quickly responded to the scene in a residential neighborhood on Hastings Street.
Neighborhood resident Meryl Arbisfeld described the scene at the time of the explosion.
"I was in my kitchen cooking. All of a sudden I heard a very loud bang," she said. "My house actually felt like it lifted and fell.
"I was talking to my daughter on the phone and I got very, very frightened. I started screaming and I ran out the door. I saw that the house was on fire. I know the person who lives in the house and he's kind of a loner. A friend and I ran over and got as close to the house as we could and started screaming his name."
Abie Cohen, a Hastings Street neighbor, said he smelled gas coming from the corner where the house was when he walked to prayer services on Saturday.
Cohen’s lawn is covered in ash. Nestled in his bushes is a burnt piece of paper from a copy of the Torah bearing a Yom Kippur prayer – apparently blown from the blast.
U/D: 10:03pm
VIN News has just learned that one person was just removed from the debris DOA, by the Medical Examiner.
Richard Hass, 66, was the one killed when his house exploded. Hass lived alone in the home, which was in a modern Orthodox community.
Earlier in the day, a neighbor had called Public Service Electric & Gas to report the smell of gas around the house, according to the Newark Star Ledger.
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Read Comments (3) — Post Yours »
1
Jul 17, 2008 at 10:11 PM anon Says:
one R"L dead 66 year old male,yid .
2
Jul 18, 2008 at 12:06 PM Oy Gevald Says:
Baruch Dayan Emes.
3
Jul 18, 2008 at 12:29 PM Anonymous Says:
If any one passed by there its really scary to see the house leveled. Nothing standing the walls and the roof all in one big pile of garbage. Misaskim was on scene and they were doing a wonderfull job. I am part of TVAC.