Victor Arias, the suspect in an apartment building fire in New York City that took the lives of three individuals, including a People en Español editor, has been charged with three counts of criminally negligent homicide.
The 29-year-old is alleged to have smoked a cigarette and then dropped it into a pile of cardboard boxes in the first-floor lobby of 207 Dyckman Street in the Inwood neighborhood of upper Manhattan. After being arrested on Monday, he was given supervised release following his arraignment on Tuesday.
Representatives at the New York City Fire Department deferred comment to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office.
The 48-year-old Yolaine Diaz, who worked at People en Español for more than 15 years, was among the fatalities. Her 73-year-old mother, Ana Dominguez Lantingua, also died, as well as another resident in the six-floor building, the 25-year-old Lance Garcia. Seven others remain hospitalized.
Arias, a lifelong New York City resident, also lived in the building with his mother and sisters.
Authorities said that the fire started on the first floor of 207 Dyckman Street at 12:35 a.m. on May 4 and quickly spread through the interior staircase of the building, reached the roof, and engulfed the entire building in less than an hour. Diaz and her mother were found dead after encountering smoke while trying to escape the blaze through the interior staircase, according to People en Español. Díaz’s stepfather managed to get away via the outside fire escape.
Díaz first came to the U.S. as a teenager, after moving from the Dominican Republic. She studied journalism at Lehman College in the Bronx and then interned at People en Español. Rising through the ranks to the role of writer, Diaz was later named digital editor of fashion and beauty. Geared for the Latino market, People en Español offers daily content about celebrities, fashion and beauty.
During Diaz’s tenure at the media outpost, she interviewed celebrities like Eva Longoria, Shakira and Jennifer Lopez, critiqued beauty products, and offered gift-giving advice. After exiting People en Español as a full-time staffer, she continued to collaborate with the media outlet. Her work was also featured in TVNotas, Ebony and Us Weekly.
Media requests to representatives at People en Español and its parent company Meredith were not acknowledged Tuesday.
Prior to the fire, an inspection of the apartment building at 207 Dyckman Street was conducted by representatives from New York City’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development. That was done by members of its Alternative Enforcement Program team, which targets buildings with multiple housing code violations, according to a HPD spokesperson.
Separately, HPD recently sued Jack Bick and the building’s other landlords over civil penalties, orders to correct and tenant harassment related to four of its other buildings, including one at 209 Dyckman Street, which is adjacent to the building that was the site of the fire. Bick, cofounder of S. Charatan Realty, did not respond immediately to a media request on Tuesday.
Arias is due back in court on June 5.
