The owner of the diner, Muhammed Abdul Quadir (right), hired Chris Gooding (left) for a mere $2,000 to plan and ignite the fire that tore a hole in the already wounded Norwood commercial strip. Both have been arrested on charges of arson and other related charges.
(photo courtesy of the NYFD, via NY Times)Officials are indicating that this fire and a previous conflagration that destroyed a strip of stores on Halloween in the same commercial district of Bainbridge Avenue/204th Street are not related.
Hopefully Mssrs. Quadir and Gooding will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, and the Norwood community can gain some closure and turn its attention to rebuilding.
FULL ARTICLE:
"Bronx Diner Owner Accused of Arson" [Al Baker, New York Times]
A thank you to BoogieDowner reader, Lora for alerting us to this article.
~ErLu
3 comments:
I just read about it on the NY1 website. Even more of a damn shame that it was arson at the hands of these pathetic individuals. I hope they feel the full anger of the community and the FDNY. They should never see the light of day again. Thank you to the investigators for catching these rats.
you know, its sad, I can't imagine what it must be to be in such a desperate situation that one would do something like this. But Im mad at him, as a neighborhood we always went back to him even after he'd be shut down by the DOH and, knowing his food wasn't the best, they were only good for breakfast and burgers. Also alot of the older people in the community frequented the diner ALOT, they'd get dressed up and all meet up. I dont even see them around. For shame Quidar. You shame your family and your friends and hurt an ENTIRE community. I went to the pioneer on bedford and was disgusted, it smelled like feet as soon as you walked in and the meat selection left much to be desired.
Good swift work by the FDNY in identifying and arresting the owner of the American Diner and the arsonist. Looks like the end for the diner since the owner was arrested. Too bad it took a fire to get a long overdue and much needed larger supermarket to serve the neighborhood. This Foodtown needed to replaced. Hopefully, they will be able to offer more selection and lower prices when rebuilt. I avoided shopping there unless absolutely necessary. Unfortunately, the Katz organization has long had a monopoly as regards a supermarket in the neighborhood. I wonder which other local properties they may own to avoid competition. Their prices are about the same as the bodegas and small grocery stores. Even if I include the additional cost of cab fare, I can save more by going to Stop & Shop.
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