Plumber says landlords son made him illegally tap gas line

A plumber who worked at the East Village building where two people died in an explosion last month has admitted to illegally tapping into a gas line there but said the landlords son ordered him to do it, The Post has learned.

The unidentified tradesman confessed to rigging a gas-supply system for apartments at 121 Second Ave. but blamed it on his boss to deflect any fault from himself, law-enforcement sources said.

Authorities havent decided whether to cut a deal with the worker in exchange for his testimony or use his statement against him, one source said.

The official investigation is still in its preliminary stage, with probers trying to recover evidence from the rubble, sources added.

Investigators suspect an illegal hook-up in the building was removed from a gas line ahead of a Con Ed inspection on the day of the explosion, then reinstalled before the devastating blast about 30 minutes later.

The buildings landlord has been identified as Maria Hrynenko, who inherited it and several others from her late husband, Michael Sr. The husband ran the East Villages iconic 24-hour Kiev diner before his death in 2004.

Authorities have said the couples son, Michael Jr., 29, was at the building before the explosion, along with general contractor Dilber Kukic of The Bronx.

Michael Hrynenko Jr., also called Mischou, was hurt in the blast and carried to safety by Kukic.

Kukic is awaiting trial on bribery charges in a sting involving an undercover officer who posed as a crooked city housing inspector.

Michael Hrynenko Jr.Photo: Facebook

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Plumber says landlords son made him illegally tap gas line