Watch CBS News

Officials Looking Into Mysterious Jersey City 'Building Of Death'

NEW YORK (CBS 2) -- Residents in Jersey City are referring to a group of apartments as the "building of death" after two people, and possibly a third, died on the same day they moved in.

Rosario Ferraras, 24, was found dead less than 24 hours after she moved into unit 446 Baldwin Ave.

The prosecutor's office said not only did the woman die of carbon monoxide poisoning, but so did another man who had moved into the same unit back in March. The death of an elderly woman, who lived in one of the units, is also under investigation.

Ferraras' brother is heartbroken and the rest of her family is angry about what happened.

"She was a very nice, sweet girl. There was no problem with her. No medical or anything like that. She was a healthy girl," Juan Ferraras told CBS 2's Christine Sloan.

The fire department slapped the apartment's landlord, Farouk Tadrous, with 15 violations. Officials are looking at a number of potential issues, including a vent for the hot water heater. So far, no criminal charges have been filed against anyone.

The fire director said the most tragic part of the entire situation was that carbon monoxide detectors were found in the basement "with lots of debris."

Tadrous did not respond to phone calls or CBS 2's attempts to reach him at his home on Tuesday. However, a man with a local heating company said the landlord had him look into violations he was faced with.

"He gave me the violation and I went through it to check all his violation. Everything looked nice and good," he said.

"I'm disappointed and scared because the landlord let us move in," a new resident said.

Ferreras had just moved into the unit after getting her license as a massage therapist. It was to be her first apartment.

Next-door neighbor Rene Figerola and his girlfriend, Donna Partyka, were just diagnosed with carbon monoxide poisoning themselves. They said they could have been victims as well.

"[Ferraras] lost her life, and another gentleman lost his life and we could've lost ours," Partyka told CBS 2's Derricke Dennis.

"When they told me I was positive, my stomach turned. I mean your life can be over in an instant," Figerola said.

Please offer your thoughts in the comments section below.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.