New Rochelle Fire Department Manages Mob Inside Spectators Bar on North Avenue

Written By: Robert Cox

SpectatorsMob.jpgLast weekend, the New Rochelle Fire Department evacuated over 600 patrons of Spectators in downtown New Rochelle on Saturday after a mob of people from the Iona College homecoming events further down the road descended upon the popular bar and grill. The capacity is listed as 150. The crowd grew past midnight into Sunday morning and by 1 am the revelers were packed like sardines. Between 1 am and 3 am, the NRFD and NRPD worked to remove everyone from the building — the count was reported 665 people — and then let back in 150 leaving hundreds more roaming the streets and sidewalks outside the bar.

SpectatorsNRFD.jpg

Maybe the limit doesn’t count if the NRFD occupancy certificate is blank (photo above)

Spectators Sports Bar was ranked one of the top places to go in Westchester, selected in the Nightlife category as “Best Out-of-Frat-House Experience” where “the co-eds are just as cute and the beer just as cheap” as you remember from your college days. Gary Torigian is quoted saying “It’s like Happy Hour twenty-four/seven”.

With Cablevision & Fox blocking out football and the World Series, Spectators is sure to be getting extra crowds to watch sports until the dispute is over. If you go there be sure and try their club sandwich — best in New York.

13 thoughts on “New Rochelle Fire Department Manages Mob Inside Spectators Bar on North Avenue”

  1. Whoever took this picture of
    Whoever took this picture of the crowd outside of Spectators is a mental patient with way too much time on their hands!

    1. Well you’d have to be to
      Well you’d have to be to live where the photo was taken.

      Roberta the Postperson

    2. It looks like it was take
      It looks like it was taken from the apartment building across the street becuase it’s from up high a window or roof

    3. mental patient
      well why don’t you come on over to this area and see what goes on at night people hanging out screaming there heads off the music coming out the side doors.Are the people who live in this area not entitled to a decent night sleep? There lucky no video was posted and only still was used from it. So tell your buddies big brother is watching!!!

  2. Accurate Info please!
    If you are going to put info out there please try to make it true and accurate. Maybe you should check the official report before throwing number out there. FACTS- OFFICIAL OCCUPANCY is 150
    OFFICIAL COUNT DURING EXIT 137
    PATRONS LET BACK IN 140 (10 below limit)
    665 minus 137 is 528.
    You are off by 528 people! Before you attack anyone or post something on this site try to be accurate. This is not groundbreaking news. Actually it isn’t even a story. You would have been better off just talking about IONA homecoming. Nice try! Bad story and even worse info!

    1. “official” report
      There was no “attack” on anyone.

      Regardless, maybe you can explain why the police and fire department were on-scene, as can clearly be seen in the photos? Then you can explain why they would be there at all if the occupancy was below the legal limit?

      The reason the police and fire department came was because Spectators was significantly and clearly over capacity. The report I got was the count was 665 people removed and 150 let back in. If you were claiming that the number was somewhat less than 665 I might give some credence to the “official report” but the idea that the police and fire department spent two hours at the location because the number of patrons was 13 people LESS than the legal limit and that after the two hours they INCREASED the number of people in the bar is ludicrous.

      The official report is written to prevent the New York State Liquor Authority from investigating. If the true figures had been reported it would have drawn the attention of the state resulting in large fines. No one wants to see any bar or restaurant get big fines, especially in this economy, but we have had too many stories of flash fires in crowded night clubs killing people to play games here.

      The NRPD and NRFD did the right thing in clearing out the place and if they fudged the numbers to deter the SLA from issuing fines so be it.

      1. The reason why the Fire Dept
        The reason why the Fire Dept and Police were called because one person who was waiting on line and they were not letting her in so she called in saying it was over crowded. Most times when you see the police show up it is because of a person the bouncers would not let in either underage or too drunk so they call and try to make it bad for the bar. And I don’t think Spectators is big enough to fit 665 people in it. Was the count you got including the hundreds waiting outside to get in?

      2. Ain’t that the truth. This
        Ain’t that the truth. This site goes on and on about how new Rochelle hurts it’s businesses and then writes this trash story to do nothing more than hurt the reputation of a local tax-paying business.

        Typical.

        While I am at it, I met the fellow who is roaming the streets asking for money.

        Gertrude and I had just got out of our spaghetti dinner over at the chew and chat cafe in parchment. Well we figured we would venture over to the new roc to see one of the new pictures.

        Well imagine my surprise when this mustached fellow with a baseball cap asked me for a dollar. I told the fell that I don’t carry cash, I mean who does nowadays? Really all you need is a good debit card. So I said to myself, self, do you think i should share with him that his picture is plastered on some internet blog? Then i realized that he is probably unfamiliar with the internets. I let it go.

        No harm, no foul.

        Roberta the Postperson

      3. That mustached fellow is better off than most NR residents
        He doesn’t pay rent (sec 8), he doesn’t pay for health insurance (medicade), gets free breakfast, lunch and dinner and he gets his SSI check every month without having to worry about being fired. No school tax bill, property tax bill, parking tickets, monthly train pass, suits, dry cleaning etc, etc. He’s got more discretionary income than the people giving him money.

      4. Why not beg in Larchmont?
        The residents of Larchmont would make much better targets. Get them when they’re walking out of Starbucks. Oh Wait a sec, Larchmont would never put up with that.

      5. Heck! all the good looking
        Heck! all the good looking woman that were there, I too would spend a few hours there also, that a no brainier!

        The fire dept came and fix the problem, Yes it could of been bad. but it’s between the bar owner and the fire dept. we pay tax’s for them to handle thing like that and they did there job.

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