Yoo, who records show had inherited a home at 844 North Burlington St. from his parents, had been rarely seen around his neighborhood and never interacted with others on the block, residents said last year.
He had gone through a contentious divorce, had a history of alcohol abuse and filing rambling lawsuits, and had repeatedly complained to the FBI, to no avail, that he was a fraud victim, The Post reported last fall.
Neighbors said that there were bags piled atop Yoo’s garage roof before the explosion — as if he seemed to be getting ready to move out.
Then, late on the night of Dec. 4, someone began firing “a flare-type gun” in the 800 block of North Burlington Street, police said. When officers arrived at Yoo’s home about 5 p.m., they were met with gunfire, and a barricade situation ensued.
Shortly before 8:30 p.m., an enormous blast from inside the home, heard for miles around, reduced the place to splinters and rained debris all over the block. Police said remains later found in the rubble are presumed to be Yoo’s.
Arlington fire officials said the natural gas line to Yoo’s home had been shut off before the explosion. Investigators said in December that they had not ruled out chemical explosives as a possible contributor to the blast.
A judge had ordered Yoo to sell the Arlington property by late October 2020 as part of the asset distribution in a contentious divorce with his ex-wife.
A family of four lived on the other side of the duplex and “lost everything” after the house exploded, according to a GoFundMe campaign that raised nearly $250,000 for them.
This is a developing story and will be updated.