The Turn To Tara team has made a bombshell discovery in the aftermath of a massive apartment fire in Rockland County that could impact thousands of residents in New York City.
The fire along Kennedy Drive in Spring Valley two weeks ago left multiple people trapped, including a 2-year-old child who had to be rescued.
News 12's cameras were rolling while the team witnessed inspectors discovering more than 100 safety code violations.
Following the inspection, the Turn to Tara team did a deep dive into the building's ownership.
Our probe started out with several public document requests that led News 12 to the owners - Country Village Towers Corporation, which is affiliated with of New York City-based Weinreb Management.
We then discovered that company was slapped with a major lawsuit from New York City officials just one month to the day before the fire broke out, warning of other dangerous conditions at properties in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx.
The 36-page complaint filed Feb. 9 accuses Weinreb Management and its principal, Jacob Weinreb, of failing to maintain many of their buildings for years, accumulating hundreds of uncorrected violations from multiple city agencies. Instead of fixing the problems, the suit alleges the defendants allowed their buildings to deteriorate to the point where they pose an imminent threat to the health and safety of the tenants and the public.
According to the suit, one building along Blackstone Avenue in the Bronx has 46 violations alone. This includes severe facade defects, eroded fire escapes and loose hazardous materials on balconies.
After our calls went unanswered, The Turn to Tara team went to Weinreb's New York City office to find answers, but the owner was not available to speak.
As News 12 left, a building superintendent told News 12 that they address safety violations every day.
These developments are part of the Turn to Tara team's ongoing coverage on code enforcement problems in Spring Valley. In an unprecedented move, the state allowed Rockland County to take over the Spring Valley Building Department with the newly formed Office of Building and Codes.