Commerce Township Business Owner Arrested at JFK Airport for Fleeing Country Amidst Fire and Explosion Investigation

A resident of Commerce Township, Noor Noel Kestou, owner of a suburban Detroit business that experienced a fatal fire and explosion was apprehended at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York as he tried to board a plane to Hong Kong on a one-way ticket, according to authorities. U.S. Customs and New York Port Authority officials detained Kestou, 31, on Saturday and brought him back to Michigan on Wednesday.

On March 4, the tragic incident took place in a Clinton Township building where Goo, a distributor for the vaping industry 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 shortly before the explosion. The blast ejected canisters up to 2 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 a quarter of a mile due to the explosion.

Officials indicated that Kestou attempted to flee the country for Hong Kong on April 20, which led to his arrest. Peter Lucido, the Macomb County Prosecutor expressed uncertainty about Kestou’s intentions questioning if he was trying to evade responsibility. Lucido emphasized that due to Kestou’s ownership of the business Goo he had been considered a suspect from the start. The business Goo had obtained an occupancy permit in September 2022 to operate as a retail location selling vape-related merchandise.

Kestou was released after paying $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. Kestou’s attorney James Thomas declined to comment on the case leaving many unanswered questions regarding the tragic incident and its aftermath.