Workers at an Italian restaurant in Murray Hill ducked for cover on Sunday evening when a passerby threw a metal barrier through an eatery’s window, showering the establishment with shards of glass, eyewitnesses said.
According to police sources and eyewitnesses, employees of the Vezzo NYC Thin Crust Pizza, located on 31st Street and Lexington Avenue, were getting ready to close up shop at around 8:30 p.m. on Sept. 8 when a suspect lifted a metal barricade used for outside dining and hurled it through the window.
“I was in the back of the restaurant and it sounded like an explosion,” busboy Jose Villavicenco told amNewYork Metro. “Everybody had dropped down. Everybody were covering themselves with the tables. And you know, you think the worst.”
The act of vandalism was so loud, in fact, that some initially mistook it for gunfire and reported it to police as such. Officers from the Midtown South Precinct responded to reports of the incident and promptly ruled out gunfire.
By the time cops arrived, the perpetrator had already fled the scene, leaving a trail of smashed glass and stunned employees in his wake.
Villavicenco said that no customers were in the restaurant at the time of the incident, and many of the staff were busy in the kitchen when the glass broke.
Even so, he noted that staff who were near the window at the time of the vandalism had to duck for cover to avoid serious injury.
“They were just trying to get to a safe place,” Villavicenco said.
No injuries were reported and no arrests have been made. The investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with information regarding this incident can call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA). You can also submit tips online at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or on X (formerly Twitter) @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
