Owner of Michigan vape factory where huge explosion left a teenager dead is arrested at airport after buying one-way ticket to Hong Kong
- He was arrested at JFK Airport after he was caught trying to flee to Hong Kong
- He was accused of involuntary manslaughter after the explosion killed a teen
The owner of the Michigan vape distribution factory that caught fire and left a teen dead has been arrested at a New York airport after being caught trying to flee to Hong Kong.
Noor Noel Kestou, 31, was arrested by US Customs and New York Port Authority personnel at John F. Kennedy International Airport and was soon brought back to Michigan.
The March 4 explosion was initially caused by a truckload of butane that caught fire, sparking hundreds of smaller explosions as cannisters inside the factory burst into flames.
Turner Lee Salter of Clinton Township, 19, died in an area hospital from injuries after being fatally struck from flying debris from an explosion over 1,000ft away.
According to officials, Salter was standing at a car wash on 15 Mile Road when he was he was hit by airborne shrapnel from one of the cannisters.
Kestou, of Commerce Township, was charged and arraigned on an involuntary manslaughter charge.
Noor Noel Kestou, 31, was arrested by US Customs and New York Port Authority personnel at John F. Kennedy International Airport and was soon brought back to Michigan
Turner Lee Salter of Clinton Township, died in an area hospital from injuries sustained when he was struck with flying debris from an explosion over 1,000ft away
Stunning before and after images show the factory flattened by the explosion
Authorities said they were given information on April 20 that Kestou was trying to fly to Hong Kong.
Macomb County Prosecutor Peter Lucido told reporters: 'We don't know what his ultimate goal was.
'Was it to stay out of the country with a wife and child here? Nobody has a crystal ball to determine who is a flight risk.
'He was a suspect from the beginning, being the owner of this business. Anyone that owns a business and something like this happens has to be considered a suspect.'
Lucido further added that involuntary manslaughter is the highest charge his office could bring, at this time, based on information and evidence in the case.
Shocking images captured the aftermath of the inferno as plumes of smoke filled the area in Clinton Township, Michigan
The explosion was caused by a truckload of butane that caught fire, which then sparked hundreds of small fires as cannisters detonated, and officials warned residents to stay away from the region
By next morning, the factory was almost entirely levelled by the explosions and all that was left was scattered debris and building foundations
Hundreds of small explosions prevented fire crews from initially reaching the flames, and ladder trucks were deployed to pour water on the inferno from above
The fire and explosion occurred in a Clinton Township building that housed a distributor for the vaping industry called Goo where more than 100,000 vape pens were stored on-site.
Authorities have said a truckload of butane canisters had arrived at the building within a week of the explosion that sent cannisters soaring up to 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) and more than half of that stock was still there when the fire began.
Goo had received a township occupancy permit in September 2022 for the 26,700-square-foot (2,480-square-meter) building as a retail location for a 'smoke shop/vape store' that would sell paraphernalia for vape products, Clinton Township's Building Department said.
Clinton Township Fire Chief Tim Duncan said today that a cause for the fire has not yet been determined but investigators believe the blaze started in the southwest corner of the building.
Kestou has been released from jail after posting a $500,000 bond.
Lucido added that officials have his passport and a condition of bond is that the accused has to wear a GPS tether.
A probable cause hearing is scheduled for May 7 in Clinton Township District Court.
