Adult Home Fire: Manslaughter, Arson, False Report Charges

NEW CITY, NY — Six people have been arrested in connection with the March 23 fire at the Evergreen Court Home for Adults that killed a firefighter and a resident, Rockland County District Attorney Thomas Walsh announced Tuesday.

Aaron Sommer and his son, Nathaniel Sommer, are both charged with two counts of manslaughter in the second degree, two counts of assault in the second degree and arson in the fourth degree. Aaron Sommer was identified as a rabbi by the Florida News Times.

Wayne Ballard, the head of Spring Valley's building and public works departments, and Raymond Canario, the village's chief building inspector and a volunteer firefighter, are charged with filing false reports.

The Sommers were arraigned and sent to Rockland County jail. Ballard and Canario were arraigned and released, Walsh said.

Arrest warrants were issued for Denise Kerr of New York City and Manuel Lema of Pomona, who face charges including reckless endangerment, criminal impersonation and obstruction of governmental operations for actions within the facility.

According to news reports after the fire, staff members at the facility may have turned off some fire alarms because they were cleaning the kitchen in a pre-Passover ritual.

Kerr, the adult home's director, said after the fire that "We are fully cooperating with all state and local authorities in the investigation."

"Please make no mistake. This investigation is not over," Walsh said, refusing to give details about the investigation. "The charges against these six individuals will be presented to a grand jury."

The Evergreen Court Home for Adults was a massive three-story building at 65 Lafayette St. The assisted living facility, which housed 112 residents, was a converted hotel built in 1903. Firefighters and others told the Journal News in April that the assisted living home was commonly considered a death trap.

The arrests come on the heels of last week's raid on Spring Valley Village Hall when investigators executed search warrants. SEE: Village Hall Raided In Investigation Of Fatal Nursing.

The two who died in the blaze were volunteer firefighter and Spring Valley resident Jared Lloyd, honored just last week by Rockland County, and a resident of the home, Oliver Hueston, 79.

Lloyd had been in and out of the building rescuing residents Tuesday when he issued a Mayday call. Recovery teams including divers searched through the rubble and water-filled basement of the collapsed building for more than 20 hours before finding his body.

Lloyd had been a member of the Spring Valley Fire Department's Columbian Fire Engine Co. No. 1 for 15 years.

Rockland County Fire Coordinator Chris Kear characterized the probe thus far as "thorough and painstaking."

After the fire, Kear told reporters that the building was "partially sprinklered" and that firefighters had had to stretch hose lines more than a thousand feet to Route 45 because closer hydrants lacked water pressure.

Investigators into the cause of the fatal fire include the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, Office of Fire Prevention and Control, the Rockland County Sheriff's Office and the Spring Valley Police Department.

Ballard, a Clarkstown resident, spent almost two decades as the town's elected Highway Superintendent before losing in 2015. He was hired in Spring Valley in 2019.

Rockland County Executive Ed Day issued a statement after the announcement:

As a former Detective Commander in the NYPD and Chief of Detectives for the Baltimore Police Department I know exactly how difficult an investigation like this one can be. I want to acknowledge the incredible work of local investigators from the Rockland County District Attorney’s Office and all of the other agencies and personnel who were involved.

The fact that these arrests came from many different facets of this situation says a lot about how comprehensive and in-depth this investigation has been along with the different aspects of accountability and criminality we are dealing with.

While today may be emotionally difficult for those directly involved as the feelings of loss and anger reawaken, ultimately justice and the process of seeking it will provide closure. I look forward to the conclusion of this legal process and obtaining the answers we all seek.