A man from the Bronx has been charged with murder after a fire claimed the lives of three people, including the elderly owner of a building that had been in his family for generations, authorities and relatives of the victims stated.
Daniel Santana, 45, faces charges of murder, arson, and manslaughter related to the May 6 fire in an apartment building on Third Avenue near East 149th Street in Mott Haven. The blaze resulted in the deaths of 70-year-old Oreste De Leon and two others, according to police.
In his final moments, De Leon attempted to rescue another resident, known only as Chino, who was trapped in a back bedroom. Unfortunately, neither survived, as tenant Sharon Horton reported to The New York Times.
A third victim, whose identity is still unknown, was recovered from the debris later that week.
Reports indicate that Santana, who had been seen in the area in a seemingly intoxicated state, playing loud music, allegedly used an accelerant to set the building on fire.
The motive for the arson remains unclear, and it is not known if Santana was acquainted with the victims.
During his court appearance on Wednesday, Santana was denied bail and is scheduled to return to court on Friday, prosecutors revealed.
Neighbors shared with The Times that De Leon was accepting of the building’s residents, many of whom were drug users with no other place to go.
“We all looked at each other like brothers and sisters, like family,” said Mecca Daniels, 51. “And Ori was our pop-pop.”
Salina Rivera, De Leon’s great-niece, started a GoFundMe campaign to seek financial help after the fire destroyed the building, which had been in their family for over three generations.
“Our family is left grieving the sudden loss of our family member. Losing him in such a tragic and violent way has left our family heartbroken and overwhelmed,” she expressed.
Rivera continued, “This was not just a property — it was my grandmother’s childhood home, her late mother’s home, and a place filled with decades of memories and history. It also housed the deli she rented out, which used to be my great grandmother’s and was recently renovated.”
The fire drew over 140 first responders to the scene, officials noted.
Three firefighters sustained minor injuries.
Following the fire, authorities issued a full vacate order for the damaged building. This came more than a year after the FDNY recommended a structural inspection due to deteriorating stairs to the second floor and sloping ceilings with exposed wiring, according to Department of Buildings records.
