Pazzo pizzeria in Wading River heavily damaged in fire; arson probe underway, authorities say

The Suffolk County Police Arson Squad is investigating a fire at a Wading River pizzeria after its owner said money in a safe and the cash register were missing early Tuesday.

Pazzo pizzeria owner Anthony Tranchina said that in the aftermath of the fire he found no money in the restaurant's safe from the previous day's work. The business' cash register was also missing, he said.

"We're assuming that the person who did what they did knew exactly where to go," Tranchina said. 

Tranchina said he had been planning to sell the business after his wife, Maria Tranchina, died in August. The restaurant had been open since 2017 and was featured by Newsday as one of Long Island's best pizzerias. "My wife was committed to this place seven days a week," he said. "I can't do that."

He was going to meet with a buyer on Friday.

Tranchina said employees and patrons were like family to him and his wife; she knew everyone by name. Since her death, customers continued to support the business as he tried to manage the restaurant alone. 

"Everybody stood up for everyone else," Tranchina said. 

There were no injuries reported, Riverhead police said. The investigation was ongoing and was turned over to Suffolk police arson squad, police said in a statement. 

Riverhead police received the initial report on the fire at 1:57 a.m. Tuesday, Officers found the building fully engulfed in flames and notified the Wading River Fire Department. Nine other departments responded and the fire was put out just before 3 a.m., said Wading River Chief Mark Donnelly said.

When Donnelly arrived at the restaurant, he said he saw flames both inside and in "front of the store."

The restaurant is in the Wading River Square shopping center off Route 25A and shares a wall with Ravaa’s Bagels and a bakery, both which suffered smoke damage and some water damage, Donnelly said.

Hank Isik, the owner of Ravaa's Bagels, said he had just bought the store in July. "My first business....and it happened like that," he said of the fire. He said police called him at 3 a.m. Tuesday to tell him about the blaze. "There's a lot of damage," he said, "Nothing we can do."

Firefighters also pulled ceiling tiles in the bagel shop to ensure the fire was not traveling in the space between the ceiling and the roof, but the fire was kept within the confines of the restaurant.

Yellow caution tape stretched in a triangle across the pillars of the pizzeria, a salon in a building across from the restaurant, and the bagel store after the fire, blocking off the damaged storefronts.

Viewed through the broken windows, the restaurant appeared gutted by the fire, its furniture and walls completely charred.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Riverhead Police Department at 631-727-4500, extension 312.

Newsday's James Carbone and Virginia Huie contributed to this story.