Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Masks Make Poker Shooting Investigation Difficult
By
Jen Chung
Published Nov 5, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Chung
Published Nov 5, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
The underground Flatiron poker club robbery that left one player dead on Friday may be connected to a robbery at a swank Upper East Side club back in June. The Post notes that the two robberies were similar, with gunmen holding up patrons and making off with a lot of cash.
The Upper East Side robbery at the National Card Room (a joint that Alex Rodriguez used to frequent) did not turn violent, whereas the Flatiron robbery did, when one of the robbers "accidentally" fired his pistol when picking up a shotgun. A 55-year-old man from NJ, Frank DeSena (pictured, left), was fatally hit. The robbers were masked, and witnesses have been unable to tell the police what race they were. A police source told the Post, "[The robbers] were good, they were professional."
Reports say that dozens of people were playing at the make-shift poker club on the seventh floor of 251 Fifth Avenue. The club was run by owners who owned a similar establishment called Straddle and had been open for a week, attracting "middle class" or "well-to-do" players. DeSena, who had worked as an economist for AT&T, is described as a regular guy with a wife and 16-year-old son.
Tagged
alex rodriguez
crime
east side
fifth avenue
flatiron
gambling
news
nj
people
poker
police
race
robbery
shooting
The Police
The Upper East Side
Upper East
upper east side
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
MTA delays slow Thursday morning's rush hour to a crawl
Because it's especially hard to get to work today.
By
David Giambusso
Published Oct 1, 2026 at 9:43 a.m. ET
Early Addition: Is Canal Street finally getting wider sidewalks?
Because officials said work is expected to begin this fall, here are your early links: A world where Times Square and Herald Square meld together, Yankees are moving on, Pete Davidson gripes about the BQE and more.
By
James Ramsay
News
Early Addition: Is Canal Street finally getting wider sidewalks?
Because officials said work is expected to begin this fall, here are your early links: A world where Times Square and Herald Square meld together, Yankees are moving on, Pete Davidson gripes about the BQE and more.
By
James Ramsay
A man who died on Rikers treated as ‘less than a human’ as family wages $25 million lawsuit
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Flushing is getting a facelift. Some worry the project will fuel more displacement.
By
Arya Sundaram
School buses still failing to show up for many NYC students with disabilities
By
Jessica Gould
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .