The owner of Ignited Restaurant & Lounge in Astoria has been arrested on a federal arson charge, after fire marshals accused him of starting fires that had the Steinway Street enterprise living up to its name.
New Jersey man Asif Raja stands accused of using a flammable liquid to set a series of fires inside his hookah lounge the night of Aug. 4, according to the FDNY.
Surveillance video released by authorities shows a man dousing tables and chairs with the liquid, then running as they burst into flames.
The building's automatic sprinkler system put out the fires before firefighters even arrived, the FDNY said. No one was hurt.
"We are extremely grateful that no one was injured during this incident and for the collaboration between all the law enforcement agencies involved in bringing this individual to justice," Fire Commissioner Daniel A. Nigro said.
Authorities suspect that Raja, 54, set the fires due to financial woes related to the coronavirus pandemic, the New York Post reported.
The business has been closed since March, according to an Instagram post.
7 comments:
Vachina should pay all cost.
Nail salons, eyebrow threading, hookah lounges ... Steinway Street used to be a place where you could buy quality equal to Manhattan with better service and cheaper price.
Well, think positively.
They got rid of White Supremacy.
That is the future of Astoria once those buildings they are throwing up don't age well like in Elmhurst.
I can't say I blame him. You work your whole life to build a business and you lose almost everything you invested in it in a year.
The state(Cuomo) and the city(Dumbozo) have basically done the same thing to every restaurant in the city. The state should have bought the gasoline for him and the city the matches.
This is the tip of the iceberg. This will be like back in the 70s where a lot of landlords will be torching their building for the insurance money.
Sad state of affairs. Really sad.
Wait. The owner did his under his own security cameras? Not just criminal, but world class stupidity
Moe said...
I'll take everyone saw that coming for $500, Alex.
Can't say that I blame him. This is what The Great Scamdemic leads to.
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