- New York City police say a man, 52, cut the gas line at his Upper West Side brownstone Thursday night in an attempt to cause an explosion and kill himself
- The gas ignited but only caused a small fire and minor explosion
- The man was taken to St. Luke’s hospital to be treated for a leg injury, but was quickly discharged and taken to a precinct for questioning
- Police say the man’s wife, who had recently filed for divorce, and the other family members who lived in the home were not present at the time of the explosion
- Inspectors say the brownstone and those around it are still structurally sound
- The man who started the explosion has not been named and he has not been charged with a crime yet
- Police are considering him ’emotionally disturbed’
A 52-year-old man tried to commit suicide Thursday night by cutting the gas line to his multi-million-dollar Manhattan brownstone in an attempt to cause an explosion.
The gas did ignite but only caused a small fire and a minor explosion, police said.
The fire was quickly put out and the building ruled structurally safe.
A 52-year-old man tied to commit suicide Thursday night by cutting the gas line in his Manhattan brownstone
The gas ignited but only caused a small fire and a minor explosion. Most of the damage was to this outer wall and a basement door
The 52-year-old man was found at the scene with a leg injury. He was taken to the hospital but quickly discharged into the hands of police who took him to a precinct for questioning
When authorities arrived at the scene on West 94th Street, they found the man alive with a minor leg injury.
He was taken to St. Luke’s for treatment, but soon discharged into the hands of waiting police officers who took him to a precinct for questioning.
The man has not been named yet, but he’ll likely face charges for the incident.
Police say the man’s wife had recently filed for divorce and that he is ’emotionally disturbed’.
The man has not been identified. However, police say his wife recently filed for divorce
No other family members were in the home when the man set off the explosion
The wife and other family members who live in the brownstone were not home at the time of the 11pm explosion
New York City Department of Buildings inspectors went through the four-story home and deemed it structurally sound. No other buildings near the home were damaged.
The biggest damage happened to an outer wall of the home and a basement door.
Records show the man who owns the home bought it in 2012 for $2.9million
• For confidential help, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or click here
• For confidential support on suicide matters in the UK, call the Samaritans on 08457 90 90 90, visit a local Samaritans branch or click here