Out here in the sticks, the usual suspect in construction is the backhoe on buried lines. "Call before you dig."
I could see how in an urban environment it would be more likely for somebody to knock loose or crack a gas line up in a building.
With the ConEd report of a strong smell of gas, seems likely that somebody knocked a cap off or crimped a pipe.
Freeper Mother here is just blaming everything on you today :))