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Videos Show Fight That Killed Staten Island Man Celebrating His Engagement

Jen Chung

Published Apr 23, 2012

Modified Apr 23, 2012

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Jen Chung

Published Apr 23, 2012

Modified Apr 23, 2012

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Earlier this month, the Staten Island District Attorney's office decided to drop criminal charges against a man who killed Antonio Lacertosa, on the evening Lacertosa was celebrating his engagement at Espana restaurant. A reputed gangster, Redinal Dervishaj, who had fled NYC and was found in Chicago, claimed self defense, and a surveillance video apparently backed that claim. Now videos showing the fight have emerged online.

Lacertosa, fiancee Bridgette Schneider, his brothers and their friends had been out celebrating the engagement on March 16; they ended up at España Restaurant for celebratory drinks around midnight. Two of the brothers were allegedly kicked out (possibly for drunkeness), and they retaliated by urinating on the side of the restaurant. A fight started with restaurant workers—manager Ridi Zeneli allegedly tried to shoot at them, but his gun's trigger jammed. A cop who saw surveillance video said, "The video was like a WWF Royal Rumble...People were being tossed on top of cars; it was crazy."

The Staten Island Advance describes the videos:

[Zeneli and Dervishaj, who were intending on closing the restaurant] approach the group, and within a few minutes the physical altercation begins, with one man shoving another—it's unclear from the video who those men are. Within seconds, the men are involved in a large fist fight.

Dervishaj gets sent tumbling over the hood of a car parked in front of the restaurant. He quickly gets back onto his feet, hopping a bit before taking off. He runs into the alley of the restaurant.

The camera in the alley shows Dervishaj stopping at the passenger side of the truck in which he arrived. But he is unable to open the door, so he keeps running, disappearing from the frame.

Five men, including Lacertosa, follow in pursuit... Dervishaj and the men who followed him disappear from the video, and the stabbing happens out of the camera's view.
Moments later, Lacertosa walks back into the alley. He opens his suit jacket and looks down at his torso, where he had been stabbed. He walks to the edge of the alley before he collapses.

As Lacertosa falls to the ground and a few friends rush to help, Dervishaj and Zeneli re-enter the frame in the back of the alley—Dervishaj with a knife visible in his hand. A woman and two men approach them—one of the men identified by sources as the Port Authority police officer.

Apparently Lacertosa's brother-in-law, Paul Como, is a Port Authority officer and is being investigated for his role in the incident. Also: "The video shows a large group of party-goers standing in front of the restaurant on the sidewalk, while a large white SUV limousine idles nearby. It appears that a man is urinating between two parked cars -- Reilly and law enforcement sources alike have identified that man as a Port Authority police officer."

The Staten Island DA's office said they are investigating who posted the videos online. Dervishaj's lawyer said, "Basically, it really just shows my client trying to get away from the rowdy crowd as much as possible, and unfortunately, he wasn't really given an opportunity."

Tagged

antonio lacertosa

redinel dervishaj

self-defense

staten island

staten island da

Jen Chung

Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

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