Riley Fibbers bar allegedly set on fire by ousted patron Paul Lucia, 60, last month, Suffolk DA says

An Islip Terrace man has been indicted on arson and other charges for allegedly setting fire to a bar hours after he was asked to leave, officials said.

The staff at Riley Fibbers Bar and Restaurant in East Islip requested that patron Paul Lucia, 60, leave the establishment on Nov. 20, according to a news release from Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney. The release did not state why Lucia was asked to leave the premises.

Lucia left the bar in a white Jeep, but returned around 7:30 p.m. with a gas can and a lighter, Tierney said. Video footage allegedly shows Lucia pouring the contents of the gas can "near the rear entrance of the restaurant, which was open and occupied by patrons and employees at the time," the release said. After flames erupted, Lucia walked back to the Jeep, tossed the can over a fence and drove away.

Suffolk County Arson Squad detectives found a gas can cap in a flowerpot outside Riley Fibbers and the can Lucia allegedly threw on an adjacent property, according to Tierney’s office. An accelerant detection canine that serves the Suffolk County Fire Marshal’s Office sniffed out ignitable materials in several locations at the scene of the fire.

A witness provided investigators with the Jeep's license plate number, and detectives discovered the plates were reported stolen a week before the fire, the district attorney’s release said. Suffolk police located Lucia and the Jeep on Sunrise Highway the day after the fire and placed him under arrest. Police also found a lighter in the Jeep.

On Friday, Lucia pleaded not guilty before Acting Supreme Court Justice Richard Horowitz at Suffolk County Court in Riverhead to second-degree arson, third-degree arson and two counts of fifth-degree criminal possession of stolen property, according to court documents. Horowitz ordered Lucia held on $100,000 cash bail, $250,000 bond or $750,000 partially secured bond as the case continues. He is scheduled to return to court on Jan. 14.

Michael Elbert, the defense attorney representing Lucia, did not immediately return Newsday’s telephone message seeking comment.

The fire damaged the kitchen and the outside awning at Riley Fibbers, according to the release. Six days after the incident, the bar announced on Facebook that it was reopened, and four days later, announced its kitchen was up and running to serve its full menu of appetizers, burgers and sandwiches.

"Thank you for your continued support, patience, and loyalty throughout these past few weeks," the bar said in a Nov. 30 Facebook post. "We couldn’t be more excited to welcome you back and fire up the full menu once again."

The owners of Riley Fibbers were not immediately available on Tuesday.