Background: News footage of Dave”s Long Pond Pub in Greece, N.Y. (WHAM). Inset: John Acito (Vay-Schleich & Meeson Funeral and Cremation Chapels).
A New York man tragically lost his life after sustaining a head injury at a local bar, where he was reportedly served alcohol beyond official closing hours, according to police reports.
John Acito, 68, was at Dave’s Long Pond Pub in Greece, New York, on the night of December 16, 2025. Having lost his wife in 2023, Acito was a regular at the establishment. Unfortunately, he never made it home that night. Surveillance footage reviewed by the Greece Police Department revealed Acito was visibly unstable, eventually falling and hitting his head on a table and the floor, where he lay for approximately 30 to 40 minutes.
Three employees of the bar later discovered Acito unconscious outside the premises. All three have since been charged with tampering with evidence, as they initially claimed to have found him in the parking lot.
According to local ABC affiliate WHAM, authorities were alerted to the situation at 3:24 a.m., responding to a call about an unresponsive man in the bar’s parking area. Acito was transported to the hospital, where he was treated for a severe head injury. Despite medical efforts, he remained in a coma for two weeks and passed away on January 1.
The medical examiner attributed Acito’s death to complications stemming from the head injury, officially classifying it as an accident.
While bar owner David Geer, 64; cook John Moore, 58; and bartender Crystal McWilliams, 42, were not charged in connection with Acito’s death, police noted discrepancies in their accounts of the events.
Det. Sgt. Jeffrey Dill told WHAM that Acito was being served drinks as late as 3 a.m., an hour past the legal 2 a.m. closing time in New York’s Monroe County. Dill said that the employees “concocted a story to protect the bar.”
In the press release, police said surveillance video from the bar showed employees putting Acito’s jacket on the unconscious man and “moving him toward the front door.” Dill told WHAM that Geer, Moore, and McWilliams “dragged the victim by the door” to make it look like he had been outside, “and then they mopped up the drag marks from where they had dragged him from.”
Police said that Acito lay on the ground unconscious for “30 to 40 minutes” while the staff “continued closing duties.”
The medical examiner stated that the delay in getting Acito help did not contribute to his death. However, Dill told WHAM the workers “had an opportunity to get him help immediately, and they didn’t take that action. They were concerned with trying to protect the bar.”
Geer, Moore, and McWilliams were all charged with tampering with evidence, a felony. WHAM reported that they are expected to appear in Greece Town Court but dates have not been made public.
