A grieving family feels betrayed following a plea deal for two rabbis in connection with a blaze that killed Spring Hill Firefighter Jared Lloyd.
"We serve our own life sentence, visiting Jared at his cemetery. Meanwhile, they're off celebrating their holidays," said Sabrail Davenport, Lloyd's mother, told CBS reporters.
Rabbi Nathaniel Sommer pleaded guilty to felony manslaughter. His son, Aaron, pleaded to misdemeanor reckless endangerment. They admitted to unsafe use of torches and charcoal during a ritual pre-Passover cleansing of the Evergreen Court kitchen. Neither will serve jail time for the 2021 fire that killed Lloyd and a resident.
Firefighters shared the grieving family's anger.
"It's a sad day," volunteer firefighter Frank Voce said.
Rockland County Fire Coordinator Chris Kear worked with the DA on the case and shares the family's anger.
"I lost my faith in the judicial system today," Kear said.
Calvin Lloyd said after the Tuesday hearing that District Attorney Tom Walsh and Judge Kevin Russo let the family down, adding the punishment -- probation -- doesn't match the magnitude of the rabbis' crime. "With us not having a say in anything here, it was a terrible decision."
"These people haven't even apologized to us or said they're sorry. There's no remorse," Davenport said.
Unfortunately, the deadly blaze didn't come as a complete shock to many in the community as nearly a decade ago fire officials in Rockland County had predicted someone would die as a result of safety, according to an investigative report.
