A Long Island man admitted to setting fire to a neighborhood bar after employees ejected him for taking an unsolicited photograph of a worker, authorities said.
Paul Lucia, 60, of Islip, pleaded guilty Tuesday to arson and several related charges stemming from the November fire at Riley Fibbers Pub & Restaurant in East Islip, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office announced.
Prosecutors said Lucia was inside the restaurant on the evening of Nov. 20, 2025, when he photographed a staff member without permission.
Employees ordered him to leave, prompting Lucia to become “irate” before driving away in a white Jeep, officials said.
About two hours later, surveillance video showed Lucia returning to Riley Fibbers with a gas can and lighter. While employees and customers remained inside, he poured an accelerant behind the restaurant, according to prosecutors.
A short time later, the building caught fire. Lucia then threw the gas can over a fence onto a neighboring property before fleeing, authorities said.
He drove away in the Jeep, which prosecutors said was displaying license plates reported stolen one week earlier.
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The blaze damaged the restaurant’s exterior awning and kitchen, but no staff members or patrons were injured.
Investigators later found the gas-can cap in a flowerpot outside the bar, while the can itself was recovered from the neighboring property.
Suffolk County police arrested Lucia the following day as he drove the same white Jeep along Sunrise Highway. Officers also found the lighter believed to have been used to start the fire inside the vehicle.
Lucia pleaded guilty to second-degree arson, third-degree arson and two counts of fifth-degree criminal arson, prosecutors said.
“The defendant admitted to intentionally setting fire to a local business, risking the lives of staff and patrons inside,” District Attorney Tierney said in a statement.
“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.”
Lucia is scheduled to return to court Nov. 12. He faces up to 10 years in prison, followed by five years of post-release supervision.
