A resident of Commerce Township in suburban Detroit, Noor Noel Kestou was arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport on Saturday as he tried to board a plane to Hong Kong on a one-way ticket. Kestou, 31, was detained by U.S. Customs and New York Port Authority officials after being charged with involuntary manslaughter during his arraignment on Thursday.
The tragic incident that led to Kestou’s arrest occurred on March 4 in a Clinton Township building where the vaping industry distributor Goo was located. The building housed over 100,000 vape pens and authorities revealed that a shipment of butane canisters had been delivered to the site just before the explosion. The blast ejected canisters up to two miles and more than half of the stock remained in the building when the fire ignited. Turner Lee Salter, 19, was fatally impacted by a nitrous oxide canister that travelled over half a mile due to the explosion.
According to Peter Lucido, Macomb County Prosecutor, it is unclear what Kestou’s intentions were when he attempted to flee the country for Hong Kong on April 20, which led to his arrest. However, Lucido emphasized that due to Kestou’s ownership of the business Goo, he had been considered a suspect from the start. The business obtained an occupancy permit in September 2022 to operate as a retail location selling vape-related merchandise.
Kestou was released after paying a $500,000 bond and is now required to wear a GPS tracker as a condition of his release. A probable cause hearing is set for May 7 at Clinton Township District Court. James Thomas, Kestou’s attorney, declined to comment on the case leaving many unanswered questions regarding the tragic incident and its aftermath.