97-25 88th Street, Queens, NY 11416

The two-family house at 97-25 88th Street in Ozone Park, owned by Jason Lau, has a concerning history of gas-related safety violations that began in late 2019 and remain unresolved as of 2025. In October 2019, a gas utility referral prompted an inspection on November 19, 2019, which revealed multiple serious violations: unpermitted gas connections were found in both the cellar and first-floor apartment, including an open-ended gas line where a gas stove was supposed to be connected. This inspection led to three separate Environmental Control Board (ECB) violations, including unpermitted gas work (with a $2,500 penalty), illegal gas supply connections ($5,000 penalty), and failure to maintain the building in a code-compliant manner.

Two additional Department of Buildings (DOB) violations were issued in February 2020 for failure to certify corrections of these immediately hazardous (Class 1) ECB violations. While one of the original ECB violations was marked as resolved, two active ECB violations remain on record, including the unpermitted gas work violation, which typically requires correction before the penalty is imposed. The building, constructed in 1920, is a two-story structure containing two units, and its current owner, Jason Lau, has been associated with the property since at least 2019.

The record shows a persistent pattern of non-compliance with gas safety regulations, raising significant concerns about resident safety. While the violations have been subject to inspections and some corrections, the persistence of active violations suggests ongoing regulatory challenges. The property's gas-related issues began with a complaint in October 2019 and have continued to develop through multiple violations over the following years, with the most recent notable activity occurring in early 2020. Given the nature of the violations involving potentially hazardous gas systems, this history warrants careful consideration when evaluating the building's safety record.