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Mahwah firefighters were among the mutual aid agency on this side of the state line who responded to the March 2021 blaze at the Evergreen Home for Adults in nearby Spring Valley, which killed resident Oliver Hueston and Fire Lt. Jared Lloyd, 35.
Rabbis Nathaniel and Aaron Sommer were originally charged with manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and reckless endangerment in connection with the fire.
However, Hudson Valley News 12's Tara Rosenblum reports that the office of Rockland County District Attorney Thomas E. Walsh II offered both men the opportunity to plead guilty to misdemeanor charges instead.
There was no immediate word on whether either intends to take the deal.
SEE: Sources: Plea deal offered to rabbi, son team charged with sparking fatal Evergreen fire in Rockland
Charges had already been dismissed against two Spring Valley village inspectors and the former director of the facility.
Lloyd was going in and out of the building rescuing residents when an upper floor collapsed. His and Hueston's bodies were later recovered.
The rabbi and his son apparently had been using a propane-powered blowtorch to clean industrial ovens and kitchens at the facility before Passover, according to authorities.
Lloyd's father blasted the plea deal as unfair, given that the Sommers were able to "celebrate holidays and enjoy their family" while his has spent that time at his dead son's grave, Rosenblum reported.
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