Twenty-five-year-old Albany policeman, Greg Krikorian, was allegedly intoxicated at the time the accident occurred, having a measured blood-alcohol content of 0.16. Apparently, he had been drinking at a party celebrating his father’s retirement from the Albany Police Department. Upon returning to the apartment complex, he attempted to park his 1988 Corvette in the garage below Ahn and Bae’s apartment, but was having considerable difficulty. Ahn, who was asleep and happened to be the only person in the apartment at the time, awoke to the sounds of Krikorian’s car banging into the apartment. He went to see what was going on and immediately fled the apartment once he saw flames erupting from the garage.

Witnesses claim that as Krikorian attempted to back into the garage and when he was unable to, he revved the engine causing flames to shoot out from the back of the car, setting the entire rear-end of the vehicle and the garage on fire. Ahn was able to escape uninjured, but the apartment and all its contents were demolished, much of which were sentimental items like photographs and books.

Sang Min Bae was lucky enough to be out of the apartment at the time of the incident; however, he lost everything in the fire except for his laptop and car. “This is [the] worst thing [that has] happened in my life. Some random guy [took] my everything away.” Bae, whose native country is South Korea, has not been weathering this calamity without help. He was aided by “most of my friends near my house; [they] are all from Korea” who provided him with the necessities: clothes, food, and a place to sleep. “They offered everything,” said Bae.

Of his roommate, Bae states, “I was in school and he was asleep. I was so worried about [him].” When he heard that Ahn had escaped unharmed despite the terrible fate of the apartment, Bae could only express his relief. “I am happy that he is fine.” Due to the unexpected event, Ahn had to change his plans for the future. “He is going into the army to serve … he [planned] to [join] the army after next semester but he is going now because of this happening,” said Bae.

Both Ahn and Bae have missed several days of classes as a consequence of the fire. They lost all their notebooks and textbooks in the fire, making it difficult to keep up with his coursework. To ensure compensation for all they lost on October 7, Bae has been taking the time to talk to people. They are still waiting to hear the damage quote from Krikorian’s insurance company. If the insurance doesn’t cover the full cost of damages, Bae says he plans on taking legal action. “I am getting help from [an] RPI lawyer,” he explained.

Krikorian was arrested at the scene, although not handcuffed, and issued an appearance ticket for the DWI incident. An internal investigation is pending and for the time being, Krikorian has been suspended without pay. As a result of the fire, he may face charges from the Green Island police department.