The owner of a suburban Detroit business that caught fire and exploded, resulting in the death of a man, was arrested at a New York airport as he was attempting to flee the country, authorities reported on Friday.
Noor Noel Kestou, 31, was apprehended at John F. Kennedy International Airport by U.S. Customs and New York Port Authority personnel. He was about to board a flight to Hong Kong on a one-way ticket. Kestou, a resident of Commerce Township, was charged with involuntary manslaughter and arraigned on Thursday.
The tragic incident took place on March 4 in a Clinton Township building that housed a distributor for the vaping industry known as Goo. The explosion, which claimed the life of 19-year-old Turner Lee Salter, was caused by a fire that ignited more than 100,000 vape pens stored on-site. Authorities discovered that a large shipment of butane canisters had arrived at the building shortly before the explosion.
Prosecutors revealed that they received information on April 20 about Kestou’s attempt to flee to Hong Kong. Macomb County Prosecutor Peter Lucido expressed uncertainty about Kestou’s intentions, questioning whether he planned to evade authorities or had other motives.
Kestou has since been released on a $500,000 bond and is required to wear a GPS tether. A probable cause hearing is scheduled for May 7 in Clinton Township District Court. Kestou’s attorney, James Thomas, declined to comment on the case.