The husband of one of the three people killed in the Bucks County nursing home explosion last month sued the facility and its owner as well as PECO.
David Ndegwa Mathenge – the widower of 52-year-old Muthoni Nduthu – filed a lawsuit against the Bristol Health & Rehab Center, its owner Saber Healthcare Holdings, LLC, the PECO Energy Company and its parent company, the Exelon Corporation, NBC10 confirmed on Tuesday, Jan. 13.
Mathenge’s wife, Muthoni Nduthu, was a nurse who worked at the Bristol Health & Rehab Center on 905 Tower Road in Bristol, Pennsylvania. She was one of three people killed in an explosion at the nursing home that occurred on Dec. 23, 2025. Another victim, 66-year-old Patricia Mero, died from her injuries on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026. Officials have not yet revealed the identity of the third person who died.
Twenty other people were also injured in the explosion which shook nearby houses in Bristol.
Deadly nursing home explosion
Officials have not said what caused the explosion but confirmed a PECO utility crew had responded to the nursing home to investigate reports of a gas odor when the blast occurred.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is currently investigating the cause of the explosion.
The recent lawsuit accuses the defendants of knowing about the gas leak and odor at the facility for “multiple hours, if not multiple days” before the explosion occurred but still not choosing to evacuate residents, visitors or workers.
“Defendants affirmatively instructed residents, visitors, and workers to remain inside Bristol Health & Rehab Center despite knowing the extreme danger, demonstrating a conscious disregard for the safety and lives of the persons in and about the nursing home,” the lawsuit states.
Last week, four people who were injured in the explosion also sued the facility and PECO, claiming their negligence was to blame. Two other people who were injured in the blast later filed a lawsuit as well.
PECO sent NBC10 the same statement in response to both lawsuits.
“We are a party to the National Transportation Safety Board investigation,” a spokesperson wrote. “We are fully cooperating with the NTSB and according to the NTSB rules, we are not permitted to comment on this matter.”
Nduthu is survived by her husband, three sons and a granddaughter. Her funeral is scheduled to take place on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026, from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. at St. Ephrem Church on 5400 Hulmeville Road in Bensalem, Pennsylvania.
Want more insights? Join Working Title - our career elevating newsletter and get the future of work delivered weekly.
