Cardi B’s nail tech lost her new salon in a fire.
The New York Post reports that Jenny Bui’s husband, Nguyen Bui, lit the fire in the Bronx walk-in salon on Sept. 28. He was later arrested on Oct. 11 and charged with arson, criminal mischief, and reckless endangerment. He pleaded not guilty in Bronx Criminal Court and was released without bail.
Footage of the incident shows a man lighting napkins on fire and throwing them onto boxes in the middle of the salon, Cianna Creations Nails & Spa in Throggs Neck. The clip shows the man walking out of the space; the room then fills with smoke and a huge fire starts spreading.
Rather than leave her husband, Jenny has decided to stay and help him.
"Give my husband one more one more chance, he's a good man," she said, per ABC 7. "He said he was stressed and I didn't question him because there's too much going on already. … A lot of people in the comments say divorce him, but I won't.”
According to the couple’s lawyer, Darnell Crosland, Nguyen was stressed out after working to finish the studio from 2 p.m. until 4 a.m. the next day. That, coupled with having a few drinks, led to a mental breakdown. Crosland also said that the footage doesn’t show the moment Nguyen tried to put out the flames. Cianna Creations Nail & Spa was set to open on Oct. 27.
"He wasn't looking for financial gain when he lit that match, so there's no fraud here, it's just frustration, it's just that human thing where you just meltdown," Crosland said.
According to the Post, Nguyen will have to go to an “alternative to incarceration” program, which provides mental health treatment.
She estimates the fire caused $100,000 in damages, including nail products, nail stations, massage chairs, sinks, and chandeliers. Jenny is looking to rebuild her store.
At the time of the fire, the 54-year-old was visiting her sick brother in Canada and learned about the incident from her neighbor. Jenny was enthusiastic about the new salon, even telling Cardi about it while doing her nails for the MTV VMAs last month.
“I was telling her how hard I worked on opening the salon,” Jenny said.
She has since launched a GoFundMe, but has only raised $8,483 of its $150,000 goal as of this writing.
