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Parents of Girls Killed by Faulty Radiator Plan to Sue City and Landlord

By Eddie Small | March 9, 2017 2:57pm
 The parents of Scylee Vayoh Ambrose and Ibanez Ambrose, who died after a faulty radiator filled their room with hot steam, filed a notice of claim against the city on Wednesday, their lawyer said.
The parents of Scylee Vayoh Ambrose and Ibanez Ambrose, who died after a faulty radiator filled their room with hot steam, filed a notice of claim against the city on Wednesday, their lawyer said.
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DNAinfo/Eddie Small

HUNTS POINT — The parents of the two young girls killed by a faulty radiator in The Bronx in December are planning to sue the city and their notorious slumlord for damages.

Scylee Vayoh Ambrose, 1, and Ibanez Ambrose, 2, suffered terrible burns on Dec. 7 after a radiator valve came off in the room where they were sleeping at 720 Hunts Point Ave., filling the room with hot steam, police said.

The girls were then taken to Lincoln Hospital and pronounced dead.

Their parents, Danielle McGuire and Peter Ambrose, filed a notice of claim Wednesday against the city, their landlord Moshe Piller and the Bushwick Economic Development Corporation (BEDCO), which operated the building the family lived at.

The family were placed at 720 Hunts Point Ave. through the Department of Homeless Services' cluster site program, a decision the notice of claim describes as "outrageous" given Piller's reputation for leaving his buildings in poor conditions.

"The landlord had received numerous complaints of problems with radiators in the building and even of problems with this specific radiator," the notice of claim reads.

The claim faults both BEDCO and the city, specifically DHS, for not detecting these dangerous conditions, blaming their inadequate inspection and monitoring procedures. It does not specify an amount of money the parents are seeking.

The city will review the notice of claim, according to the Law Department.

The family's lawyer, Robert Mongeluzzi, said in a statement that the young girls' deaths were "a catastrophe waiting to happen."

"On behalf of the family, and in memory of the Ambrose sisters, we will get to the whole truth and hold all those responsible fully accountable,” he said.

BEDCO and Piller did not respond immediately to calls seeking comment.