Man Set East Islip Bar On Fire After Being Kicked Out, Pleads Guilty: DA

EAST ISLIP, NY — An Islip Terrace man pleaded guilty to setting fire to an East Islip bar after becoming angry when employees asked him to leave, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said Wednesday.

Paul Lucia, 60, pleaded guilty Tuesday to Arson in the Second Degree and related charges in connection with the Nov. 20, 2025, fire at Riley Fibbers Pub & Restaurant. He faces up to 10 years in prison when he is sentenced next month, prosecutors said.

According to prosecutors, Lucia was a patron at Riley Fibbers around 5:30 p.m. on Nov. 20, 2025, when staff members asked him to leave after he took a photograph of an employee.
Lucia left the establishment in a white Jeep Patriot but returned approximately two hours later, around 7:30 p.m., carrying a gas can and lighter, the DA said.

Surveillance footage showed Lucia getting out of the Jeep and pouring liquid from the gas can near the restaurant's rear entrance, prosecutors said. The restaurant was open and occupied by employees and patrons at the time.

Shortly afterward, flames erupted at the establishment as Lucia walked back toward his vehicle, the DA said.

According to prosecutors, Lucia threw the gas can over a fence onto an adjacent property before getting into the Jeep and driving away.

The fire damaged an exterior awning and the restaurant's kitchen. Despite the danger posed to those inside, no injuries were reported, authorities said.

A witness at the scene provided investigators with the license plate number of the Jeep Lucia was driving. Detectives later determined that the license plates had been reported stolen approximately one week before the fire, according to the DA's office.

During the investigation, Suffolk County Police Arson Squad detectives recovered the cap of a gas can from a flowerpot outside the bar. Investigators also located the gas can on the neighboring property where Lucia had thrown it, prosecutors said.

A certified ignitable detection canine from the Suffolk County Fire Marshal's Office was brought to the scene and detected the presence of ignitable liquids in several locations, the DA said.

The following day, Suffolk County police officers spotted Lucia driving the white Jeep on Sunrise Highway and conducted a traffic stop, authorities said.

Lucia was arrested, and investigators recovered the lighter used to start the fire from inside the Jeep, prosecutors said.

Lucia pleaded guilty Oct. 13 before Acting Supreme Court Justice Richard Horowitz to Arson in the Second Degree, a class B violent felony; Arson in the Third Degree, a class C felony; and two counts of Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the Fifth Degree, class A misdemeanors.

He is scheduled to return to court Nov. 13 for sentencing, when he faces up to 10 years in prison followed by five years of post-release supervision, according to prosecutors.

Lucia is represented by attorney Michael Elbert, who was not immediately available for comment.

“The defendant admitted to intentionally setting fire to a local business, risking the lives of staff and patrons inside,” Tierney said. “Violent crimes such as this will never be tolerated. The prison term he now faces holds the defendant accountable for what could have easily turned into an enormous tragedy.”