A man was fatally stabbed inside his Queens penthouse Tuesday — and his killer then set off a massive explosion that blew the roof off the apartment building to try to cover up the murder, police sources say.
The blast tore apart the top-floor apartment and parts of the floor below inside the seven-story building on 41st Avenue near 73rd Street just before 10:30 a.m., fire officials said.
After the four-alarm blaze was put out, responders found 26-year-old Anesti Bulgaretsi unconscious in the bathroom of the apartment, police said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
But it wasn’t until hours later that authorities discovered Bulgaretsi had been stabbed multiple times, according to police sources, who said they believe the fire had been intentionally set to cover the killer’s tracks.
FDNY Chief Thomas Currao said at the scene that the fire caused “significant damage to the penthouse structure as well as the rear of the sixth floor.
“We have a collapse, it is a very unstable situation right now.
One person was pronounced dead in a building explosion in Queens. FNTV“We have evacuated two buildings to the rear of the main fire structure,” the fire chief said. “[W]e’ll be working with the Department of Buildings to develop a plan for the next phase, which will be structural stability and mitigation.”
Four firefighters also suffered minor injuries from the fire, Currao added.
Fire responders found the 26-year-old man as they managed the fire. Hakim Gibson