A Rockland County grand jury has handed down an indictment against a father and son on multiple charges including second-degree manslaughter in connection with the deadly March fire at an adult home, News 4 has learned.
Nathaniel and Aaron Sommer, a Rabbi and his son, have denied any wrongdoing in the fire that killed a volunteer firefighter and elderly resident of the Evergreen Court Home for Adults. The facility maintains that the two were independent contractors.
The father-and-son duo had been performing a pre-Passover cleaning ritual that involves heating kitchen utensils to burn off traces of forbidden food. Records show that the Evergreen Court fire was reported about 90 minutes after Nathaniel and Aaron Sommer had left the facility after preparing the kitchen for Passover, the Journal News previously reported.