A Massachusetts police officer who lost half his family in a devastating Airbnb fire is no longer able to work and remains haunted by his late wife’s cries for help as she and the couple’s 1-year-old daughter struggled in vain to escape the flames, according to a federal lawsuit reviewed by The Independent.
John Hubbard IV, 40, “will never be able to recover from hearing his wife through a trapped door while their lives ended in flames and smoke,” the former patrolman’s complaint states. The couple’s 3-year-old son survived the October 13, 2024 inferno, but, the filing contends, “his own young personality and love for life will be forever changed.”
It claims the homeowners – who were later arrested and accused of manslaughter – falsely advertised the Upstate New York rental as being equipped with smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. However, they never installed the devices in order “to save a buck,” the complaint contends, blaming the tragedy on the pair’s “inattentiveness, hastiness, deceptiveness and willingness to prioritize short-cuts over the safety of the occupants of the premises.”
Hubbard’s lawsuit names Airbnb and others as defendants.
The fateful choice by Airbnb hosts Dennis and Meredith Darcy “catastrophically broke the Hubbard Family,” according to the complaint.
Hubbard, who served as a police officer for more than 15 years, was subsequently forced to retire so he could focus on his “new responsibilities as a single parent,” the complaint says.
The Independent has reached out to Airbnb for comment.
open image in galleryHubbard and his wife Shannon, along with their kids Jack and Maggie, were spending the weekend at an Airbnb in the quaint Dutchess County town of Salt Point to enjoy the fall foliage and visit relatives, according to the complaint, which was filed August 12 in Manhattan federal court.
The pair were relaxing on the patio of the 4-bed, 2.5-bath home when John, a patrolman in Nantucket before joining the Dennis Police Department, and Shannon, a pre-school teacher for kids with special needs, smelled smoke.
Hubbard quickly dialed 911 as Shannon ran inside. The New York State Police, the East Clinton Fire Department and the Dutchess County Fire Investigation Division responded, discovering Shannon and the children on the second floor of the home, according to an official news release issued several months later.
The four family members were taken to area hospitals, where Shannon and Maggie were pronounced dead.
Investigators determined that the fatal blaze had originated in the chimney flue and had not been intentionally set. At the same time, a State Police probe found that the property lacked required permits and “was not properly equipped with functional smoke detectors.” The Dutchess County DA’s office went even further, saying the Darcys “deliberately ignored the significant and unjustifiable risk of death” by not installing the detectors.
An attorney for the Darcys said at the time they were “devastated” over what had happened, but that they had “a stark difference of opinion” with the district attorney over the manslaughter charges.
Yet, according to the complaint, the two chose to “line their pockets without any regard for the safety of the Hubbard family.” In addition to the home lacking any smoke detectors, the residence had not been inspected, did not have a valid rental permit, and contained a wood-burning stove that was not code compliant.
open image in galleryHubbard, who saved Jack from the deadly blaze “while saying his last words to his wife and daughter,” will never be the same, the complaint maintains. He used to love fishing and taking his family to the beach, it says. Jack, for his part, suffered severe burns, smoke inhalation, and will endure “life-long trauma” because of the disaster, according to the complaint.
“Before this horrific event, [Jack] was a very happy child, who was easy going, and extremely close to his mother,” it explains. “He loved being an older brother and liked sharing his toys and incorporating his younger sister… into his play. [Jack] loved the beach, playing in the water and fishing with his dad, was extremely social in school with his friends and loved learning about dinosaurs and space.”
Since the fire, however, Jack “has not been the same child and continues to undergo therapy in order to try to understand what truly occurred and how to try to move forward.”
“He constantly asks for his mother and sister, stares at photos of his mother and sister and has a tough time leaving his father’s side,” the complaint states.
Shannon Hubbard, a teacher who worked with special-needs children, “loved being married to John,” the complaint goes on.
“She loved to read and was a member of book clubs, loved outdoor activities, loved going to the beach with her children and dogs and loved living on Cape Cod,” it says. “More than anything, Shannon loved being a mother to [Maggie] and [Jack] and would choose her children first and always.”
open image in galleryMaggie, the complaint continues, “had her complete life stolen, but in her brief time on this earth was very confident, spunky and had an assertive personality.”
It says she “loved playing with her brother… and was daddy’s girl.”
“At the time of her death she was learning to walk and would gravitate towards anything her brother… showed interest in,” the complaint states. [Maggie] was named after her paternal grandma Margaret and her maternal grandma June.”
Airbnb removed the Darcys’ listing after the incident, according to the complaint. The filing names Airbnb, Meredith and Dennis Darcy, several contractors, and a home inspector as co-defendants. The Darcys’ criminal case remains pending.
“This devastating tragedy could have been prevented,” Dutchess County DA Anthony Parisi told WRGB-TV News. “The deaths of Shannon Hubbard and her young daughter in this senseless fire serve as a tragic reminder of the critical role smoke detectors play in safeguarding lives.”
Hubbard is now demanding a money judgment to be determined by a jury, including compensatory damages for pain, suffering, emotional distress, and loss of enjoyment of life; economic and pecuniary damages for medical expenses, out of pocket expenses, loss of earnings, and funeral expenses; and punitive and/or exemplary damages for the “wanton, willful, fraudulent, [and] reckless acts” of the Darcys; as well as pre-judgment interest, post-judgement interest, attorneys’ fees and court costs.