Several years ago Hass moved into the home to care for his ailing parents staying on after they passed away. He did not own a car and rarely ventured far from home.

For the past several weeks a gas smell was coming from the house off and on. On Thursday neighbour Banji Ganchrow called the gas company according to a report on WCBS TV.

Today we smelled it again and I called PSE&G and they were here at 2 p.m. They said everything was fine. It must (not) have been (because) at 6 p.m. we heard a boom."

The Fire Chief of Teaneck Robert Montgomery said that the home didn't have a chance. The explosion collapsed the home like a deck of cards.

Two neighbours that were passing the home when it exploded were injured by the blast.