A Flushing man has been arrested after he allegedly torched a Bangladeshi restaurant in Jackson Heights earlier this month after being upset that his order had been botched (Photos: NYPD and Google Maps)
Oct. 19, 2022 By Michael Dorgan
A Queens man has been arrested after he allegedly set fire to a Bangladeshi restaurant in Jackson Heights earlier this month after being upset that the establishment botched his order.
Choephel Norbu, 49, of Flushing, was charged with arson, criminal mischief and reckless endangerment for allegedly torching the front of Ittadi Garden & Grill, located at 73-07 37th Rd. on Oct. 2, the FDNY said Tuesday.
The FDNY announcement was accompanied by a video showing a man in a hoody setting fire to the front of the restaurant on Oct. 2 at around 6:15 a.m.
The arsonist in the video, who law enforcement believe is Norbu, is seen standing outside the eatery and then grabbing a bucket before dousing the front of the store with a liquid.
He then bends over and ignites the liquid, sparking a large fireball that engulfs part of the store and the sidewalk. The fire also appears to erupt around the arsonist who then runs away, the video shows.
The fireball damaged the restaurant’s glass door, door mat and wall panel, police said.
It also destroyed the eatery’s air-conditioning unit causing more than $1,500 in damage, according to Fox5 New York.
Norbu, from Sanford Avenue, told detectives that he was “very drunk” at the time of the incident and was enraged that the restaurant didn’t get his order of chicken biryani right, the news outlet reported.
Norbu was arraigned and released without bail. He was ordered back to court in December.
Today, Acting Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh announced the arrest of Choephel Norbu. #FDNY Fire Marshals along with @NYPDnews Arson and Explosion Detectives arrested Norbu, 49, for intentionally setting a fire. Read more: https://t.co/151Huk3jDY pic.twitter.com/3Hjhiwbw5J
— FDNY (@FDNY) October 17, 2022
