Two of three construction supervisors charged with manslaughter following the deaths of two NYC firefighters in a 2007 fire at the former Deutsche Bank building at 130 Liberty Street have been exonerated of blame.
On Wed., June 29, Jeffrey Melofchik, the site safety supervisor of the building’s demolition, was found not guilty of manslaughter and two other counts. Salvatore DePaola, an abatement foreman, was acquitted the day prior of the same charges.
The State Supreme Court in Manhattan now has only one remaining verdict to determine before the case comes to a close: that of abatement director Mitchel Alvo.
Prosecutors’ prevailing in cases pertaining to construction-related mishaps such as this one is often difficult, sources say, since defense attorneys typically obscure the cause of the accidents. In this case, the city confessed that it made errors while monitoring the dismantling of the building, which weakened the prosecution of the individual supervisors.
