On March 4, a tragic incident occurred at a Clinton Township building that housed Goo, a distributor for the vaping industry. The building contained over 100,000 vape pens and received a shipment of butane canisters shortly before an explosion rocked the site. The blast ejected canisters up to two miles and more than half of the stock remained in the building when the fire ignited. One person, Turner Lee Salter, was fatally injured by a nitrous oxide canister that travelled over a quarter of a mile due to the explosion.
Noor Noel Kestou, the owner of Goo, was apprehended at John F. Kennedy International Airport on April 20 as he tried to board a plane to Hong Kong on a one-way ticket. U.S. Customs and New York Port Authority officials detained Kestou, 31, at JFK airport and brought him back to Michigan on Wednesday. Kestou was charged with involuntary manslaughter during his arraignment on Thursday in Macomb County Circuit Court in Clinton Township.
Peter Lucido, the Macomb County Prosecutor, expressed uncertainty about Kestou’s intentions but emphasized that due to his ownership of Goo, he had been considered a suspect from the start. The business 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 bail and is now required to wear a GPS tracker as part of his release conditions. 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 and left many unanswered questions regarding the tragic incident and its aftermath.
The tragedy has raised concerns about safety measures taken by vape businesses and highlighted the need for greater regulation in the industry.