Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

msar-riders - [MSAR] arrests in investigation of fire that killed Neary and Sweeney, PFD

msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Mounted search and rescue

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: "IRVIN LICHTENSTEIN" <ilichten1@verizon.net>
  • To: <msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org>, "Gwiazdzinski, Brian" <brian_gwiazdzinski@merck.com>
  • Subject: [MSAR] arrests in investigation of fire that killed Neary and Sweeney, PFD
  • Date: Fri, 19 Oct 2012 17:40:58 -0400

http://www.fireengineering.com/news/2012/10/19/owner-of-store-at-site-of-deadly-fire-is-arrested.html?sponsored=firedynamics&cmpid=EnlFireEngWeeklyOctober192012

 

Wire News provided by Phillynews.com

 

Owner of Store at Site Where Philly Firefighters Died Is Arrested

Social Media Tools

More Sharing ServicesShare

 Print Email SaveSponsored by: 10/19/2012

 

State and federal authorities on Thursday arrested the owner of a furniture store where two firefighters were killed earlier this year.

 

The Philadelphia District Attorney's Office would provide no further details on the state perjury and fraud charges filed against Richard Knellinger, 40, owner of Giamari Furniture & Bedding on Kensington Avenue.

 

The store was adjacent to the vacant Thomas W. Buck Hosiery complex, which burned to rubble April 9. One of the mill's five-story brick walls collapsed on the furniture store while four firefighters were inside.

 

Two of the men were rescued; Lt. Robert Neary and Firefighter Daniel Sweeney died.

 

More than a week later, District Attorney Seth Williams said a grand jury would be convened to examine the circumstances surrounding the fire, the cause of which has never been determined.

 

The grand jury proceedings are secret, and it's unclear if the perjury charge against Knellinger was related to any testimony he might have given there.

 

Knellinger was arrested Thursday morning by members of a task force that includes agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the federal agency that investigates fires and arsons.

 

No federal charges were filed against Knellinger.

 

Knellinger had yet to be arraigned Thursday evening and could not be reached.

 

Shortly after the fire, Mayor Nutter was highly critical of the Lichtenstein family, the Brooklyn-based owners of the Buck building, who had planned to convert the century-old mill to apartments.

 

Neighbors, fearing a fire hazard, complained repeatedly to the city. The city said the Lichtensteins did not respond to three citations in the months before the fire.

 

Leaders of the firefighters' union also cast blame at departmental cutbacks they say have left them shorthanded.

 

While the scope of the grand jury investigation is not known, testimony at a Council hearing convened last week by Councilman James F. Kenney was highly critical of departmental procedure in the fire.

 

Contact Troy Graham

 

at 215-854-2730 or tgraham@phillynews.com , or follow on Twitter @troyjgraham.

 

 

Copyright 2012 Philadelphia Newspapers, LLC

All Rights Reserved

 



  • [MSAR] arrests in investigation of fire that killed Neary and Sweeney, PFD, IRVIN LICHTENSTEIN, 10/23/2012

Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page