February 22-28, 2019 Your Neighborhood — Your News® 75 cents
SERVING THROGGS NECK, PELHAM BAY, COUNTRY CLUB, CITY ISLAND, WESTCHESTER SQUARE, MORRIS PARK, VAN NEST, PELHAM PARKWAY, CASTLE HILL, ALLERTON
Major investor Jeff Sutton pays millions for the property
Hit ‘n run leaves man in coma The legendary Guardian Angels were honored for their four decades
Vol. 39 No. 8 www.bxtimes.com
Service With A Smile
HOLD THE MAYO:
PB DINER SOLD
Continued on Page 73
Continued on Page 73
of community service on Sunday, February 10 at a McDonald’s
on 2505 Southern Boulevard. Curtis Sliwa, Guardian Angels
founder and CEO, was awarded a T-shirt by his former employer
McDonald’s. See story on page 22 and spread on page 40.
Photo by Edward Watkins
BY PATRICK ROCCHIO
A tragic ‘hit and run’ that
left a man in critical condition
has brought the community
together to help police fi nd the
driver.
The parents of Jared
D’Amico, a 27-year-old man
who was crossing East Tremont
Avenue near Milton Place
when he was run over at approximately
8 p.m on Monday,
February 11, gathered
with community residents to
call on the driver of the SUV
or truck that ran him down to
turn himself or herself in.
As of press time, a police
source said that cops believe
that they are looking for the
driver of a red Jeep. There was
no arrest or further update as
of press time.
Parents Kim and Noel
D’Amico attended a press
conference on Friday, February
15 with Councilman
Mark Gjonaj, Throggs Neck
Merchants Association members,
traffi c safety advocates,
friends and neighbors to ask
anyone with information to
contact the 45th Precinct.
Councilman Gjonaj offered
a $10,000 reward leading to the
arrest and apprehension of the
responsible individual.
“This community doesn’t
tolerate leaving the scene of a
crime,” said Gjonaj, before announcing
the reward.
He added: “I call on the
driver of that vehicle and anyone
in the vehicle to turn himself
in before it gets worse.”
Gjonaj said he felt Jared’s
parents anguish.
“This is a parent’s worst
nightmare and a community’s
worst nightmare that someone
is run over and left for
dead (and the driver shows) no
remorse,” said Gjonaj.
The incident along with a
death of an elderly woman on
BY ALEX MITCHELL
The award-winning
37-year-old Pelham Bay Diner
at 1920 E. Gun Hill Road shut
off its fryers for the last time
at the end of January,
According to Real Deal,
New York commercial real
estate mogul Jeff Sutton acquired
the 29,800 square
foot property along I-95 that
owner Jerry Stefanitsis and
his wife labored at for almost
four decades.
Sutton’s group, Wharton
Properties acquired the Pelham
Bay Diner and its surrounding
parking lot for
$10.25 million.
Sutton did so after selling
four downtown Brooklyn
properties worth $22 million
to United American Land,
the report also indicated.
Wharton is best known
for its vibrant, high-ceiling
commercial properties scattered
throughout Midtown
such as the Swarovski in
Times Square or the famed
Crown Building property at
730 Fifth Avenue.
However, Sutton has been
growing a Bronx portfolio as
well.
The fi rm’s holdings are
scattered throughout the
borough. Sutton owns the
Westchester Square Duane
Reade on 2641 E. Tremont Avenue,
the Footaction store at
272 E. Fordham Road, Payless
Shoe Source at 2902 Third
Ave, several 1-story commercial
sites at 306 E. 204th
Street and 3377 Eastchester
Road, along with Hillside Finance
Station of 3480 Boston
Road and a Rite Aid at 5825
Broadway.
The diner property that
Sutton acquired is bordered
on the east by a ‘hot sheets
motel’, the Pelham Garden
Motel, at 2410 Grace Avenue.
It’s future was not mentioned
in the Jeff Sutton announcement.
In the late 1950s the diner
building was formerly the
Gun Hill Manor, a popular catering
venue that was booked
for weddings, anniversaries
and many othe special occasions.
When the Stefanitsis
opened their diner, it quickly
became well known for it’s
tantalizing Greek specialties
along with the popular ‘Pelham
Bay Burger’ and ‘Bronx
Skillet’ breakfast special,
that fed many a hungry traveller
coming off the New York
Thruway or the Hutchinson
River Parkway.
Even former Mayor Mi
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