Man indicted for murder after triggering fatal gas explosion while dismantling stove in Bronx, officials say

A man was indicted for murder after instigating a gas leak resulting in an explosion that killed a tenant at a Bronx apartment building, according to prosecutors. 

Samuel Calderon, 55, was arraigned Wednesday on 17 charges, including murder, burglary and assault. Calderon, who police said is homeless, was trying to steal a stove from his ex-girlfriend's home to sell for drugs in January, according to officials. 

Shortly after midnight on Jan. 24, police said Calderon entered the woman's apartment in the Boston Sector Houses. He allegedly dismantled a stove, which caused a gas leak. 

He is seen on video surveillance wheeling the stove down the hall on a dolly, prosecutors said.

The gas seeped to other floors and ignited in a 17th-floor apartment, causing an explosion. It collapsed the ceiling of the 16th-floor hallway, which fell on 60-year-old Ronald McCallister, killing him. 

Eleven people were also injured, with one critically burned. All the residents in the building – over 300 people – were displaced by the fire.

"This defendant allegedly entered his ex-girlfriend's apartment to steal her stove, which he was planning to sell in exchange for drugs. His alleged disregard for the residents set in motion a chain of events that claimed the life of an innocent man, injured 11 others and has upended the lives of the residents," said Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark. 

Calderon was arrested by police four days later when he returned to check the mailbox. 

Neighbors also said the explosion triggered a gas outage in the building across the street, forcing them to cook with hot plates for days.