In a dramatic turn of events, Noor Noel Kestou, the owner of a Michigan-based vaping business, was apprehended at a New York airport as he was about to board a one-way flight to Hong Kong. The arrest comes in the wake of a fatal explosion at his business premises in suburban Detroit, which claimed the life of a 19-year-old man.
Kestou, 31, was taken into custody by U.S. Customs and New York Port Authority personnel at John F. Kennedy International Airport last Saturday and was returned to Michigan on Wednesday. He was arraigned on Thursday on an involuntary manslaughter charge.
The explosion, which occurred on March 4, originated from a building in Clinton Township that housed Kestou's vaping distribution company, Goo. The building was reportedly storing over 100,000 vape pens at the time of the incident. Authorities have disclosed that a shipment of butane canisters had been delivered to the building a week prior to the explosion, which sent canisters flying up to 2 miles. Over half of the butane stock was still present when the fire broke out.
The victim, Turner Lee Salter, was approximately a quarter of a mile away when he was hit by a nitrous oxide canister propelled by the explosion. Salter later succumbed to his injuries.
Macomb County Prosecutor Peter Lucido, speaking to reporters on Friday, said, "We don't know what his ultimate goal was. Was it to stay out of the country with a wife and child here? Nobody has a crystal ball to determine who is a flight risk." He added, "He was a suspect from the beginning, being the owner of this business. Anyone that owns a business and something like this happens has to be considered a suspect."
Lucido also stated that involuntary manslaughter is the highest charge his office could bring at this time, based on the current evidence and information in the case.
The building, a 26,700-square-foot retail location for a "smoke shop/vape store," had received a township occupancy permit in September 2022. Clinton Township Fire Chief Tim Duncan said that the cause of the fire is still under investigation, but it is believed to have started in the southwest corner of the building.
Kestou has since been released from jail after posting a $500,000 bond. As a condition of his bond, Kestou is required to wear a GPS tether. His passport is in the possession of authorities, and a probable cause hearing is scheduled for May 7 in Clinton Township District Court.
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