Crime & Safety

Port Jeff Station Gas Leak Home Was Illegally Split Into Multi-Family Units

Town of Brookhaven officials confirmed that house had up to 10 people residing in it at time of carbon monoxide leak.

After 11 people were hospitalized - two in critical condition - from carbon monoxide poisoning at , the Town of Brookhaven condemned the home at 512 Jayne Blvd. after finding it had been illegally split into multiple living spaces.

According to a report by the Brookhaven Town Fire Marshal, the two people in critical condition – a 44-year old woman and an 11-year old boy – were transported to . Six others were transported to and three were transported to .

Brookhaven Town Fire Marshals were called in and found that generators were running below ground in the rear of the house in an outside basement stairwell. The generators were said to be the cause of the carbon monoxide leak. Electric service had been terminated to the home.

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The town’s building division condemned the residence for occupancy. The fire marshal also issued three summonses to the property owner - listed as Armando Cepeda, who purchased the property in June 2006 - for creating and maintaining a hazardous condition, no smoke detectors and for not having a carbon monoxide detector.

The house had been illegally split into a multi-family dwelling at some point in time.

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According to a Town of Brookhaven spokesperson, the home had four separate living areas. Three of the illegal apartments had kitchens, one on the main floor, one in the garage, and another in the basement. There was also one other separate single room occupancy living space with no kitchen in a room at the rear of the house. Town building division records only showed the house, built in 1967, had been approved as a single-family residence with one kitchen, three bedroom, one and a half baths and an attached garage.

At the time of the carbon monoxide poisoning, the home had been listed for sale.

Calls to the real estate agent have not been returned as of the writing of this article. On the listing’s website the home is described at an “affordable three bedroom ranch situated on 1/3 acre.” It is described as a short sale to be sold “as is.”

Dennis Sandstrom, a neighbor who lives across the street, told Patch in an interview after the incident that he saw people coming and going from the house frequently.

“They’d sneak around the back an excessive amount,” Sandstrom said. “Always in and out, in and out.”

The Town of Brookhaven confirmed that there were “possibly 10 persons living in the house.” The male child who was critically injured was visiting for the night.

Other members of the household who were released from area hospitals all made alternate arrangements for housing on their own.

There is no update on the critically injured child and adult woman.


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