A restaurant across the street from the deadly explosion in the East Village has been given an eviction notice for illegally siphoning gas.
The notice orders the Stage Restaurant at 128 Second Avenue to leave the premises by the end of the month, and it cites a stop work order the city had issued for unauthorized work being done on gas pipes in the basement.
Investigators are considering whether an illegally tapped gas line led to the March 26th explosion and building collapse that killed 2 people and injured 19 others.
Calls to the Stage Restaurant Monday evening have not been answered.
Earlier this month, WNYC reported that a tenant who lives above the restaurant smelled gas in the building just 3 days after the explosion across the street. The tenant's alert led the city to find the unauthorized gas line at 128 2nd Avenue. Tenants there are now suing the management company in housing court for building violations. Their next hearing was scheduled for Tuesday morning.
See the eviction notice and the city's stop work order here: