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Evidence lost in Red Hook NYPD auto pound fire could lead to impact litigation

According to defense attorney Chris Carrion, this same facility was flooded from Superstorm Sandy, where 5,000 55-gallon cardboard drums with DNA evidence were destroyed.

News 12 Staff

Dec 17, 2022, 3:28 AM

Updated 719 days ago

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The NYPD says Monday’s fire at their Erie Basin auto pound in Red Hook damaged evidence dating back 20 to 30 years.  
According to defense attorney Chris Carrion, this same facility was flooded from Superstorm Sandy, where 5,000 55-gallon cardboard drums with DNA evidence were destroyed.  
Carrion says that he expects some sort of impact litigation – the act of filing lawsuits in hopes of creating change in laws or policies – to come as a result of this. When News 12 reached out to the Legal Aid Society, they declined to comment on any upcoming impact litigation.  
A demolition company was spotted at the site of the fire at the Red Hook facility Friday afternoon. According to the demolition company staff present, company engineers and the Department of Buildings were inside the facility trying to determine what could be salvaged.  
News 12 asked the NYPD if there are any plans to change how evidence is stored, who said in a statement, "The fire remains under investigation by the FDNY Fire Marshalls.  We will assess the damage caused by the fire. An update will be available in the future."