166:. The trial court found the restaurant liable in 1975 and a district appeals court agreed in 1977, ruling that by "failing to adequately protect its patrons from fire by providing proper safety measures such as emergency exits and signs indicating the location of said exits, appellant-Concord assumed the foreseeable risk that fire might someday trap its patrons leaving them without an escape route."
139:
used to control access to the restaurant. A witness who was a worker at an adjoining restaurant said that he had "rushed out into the street and scores of old people were lying on the sidewalks and in the road moaning and screaming in lots of pain." Another witness said that he saw the interior of
134:
On the night of
February 2, 1973, a man walked into the cafeteria which was crowded with diners, poured gasoline out a jar, ignited it with a match, and ran out of the restaurant. Intense flames spread very rapidly. People attempted to escape but were obstructed by the
140:
the restaurant in flames and "all the glass was broken and the front was gone." Victims were taken to four different hospitals suffering from burns and smoke inhalation, and fourteen people were in critical condition two days later. Three people died.
118:
in Miami Beach. It was founded in 1947 by Morris
Himelstein, who also owned and operated six Concord Cafeterias in New York City. It had 250 seats and served inexpensive,
152:, walked into a police station, and said, "I've done something terrible. I've made a lot of people scream." After being questioned for 12 hours, Reardon was charged with
159:
After several months of renovations, the
Concord Cafeteria reopened. It was the last cafeteria in Miami Beach when it closed ten years later, in June, 1983.
371:
356:
381:
223:
254:
391:
366:
361:
307:
191:
156:
and use of a destructive device. He was never prosecuted because he was found incompetent to be tried due to mental illness.
351:
162:
Many lawsuits against the cafeteria were filed by victims, which were consolidated into a case called
376:
346:
386:
106:. Three people were killed and 139 were injured, including many people who were severely burned.
102:. He poured gasoline out of a large jar, lit a match, ignited the gasoline, and ran out of the
149:
99:
27:
8:
282:
259:
228:
98:
occurred on
February 2, 1973, when a man walked into the crowded Concord Cafeteria in
283:"Concord Florida, Inc. v. Lewin: District Court of Appeal of Florida, Third District"
192:"The day this beloved South Beach restaurant was firebombed in a deadly attack"
115:
340:
322:
309:
196:
119:
58:
148:
Twenty-two minutes after the fire began, 49-year-old
Charles Reardon of
136:
126:. It functioned as an informal social center as well as a restaurant.
103:
123:
224:"Explosive Is Set Off In Cafeteria, Injures 90 in Miami Beach"
153:
62:
255:"Floridian Charged With Setting Blaze That Injured 139"
338:
372:Attacks on buildings and structures in 1973
357:Attacks on restaurants in the United States
114:The Concord Cafeteria was located at 1921
382:February 1973 events in the United States
122:to about 3000 diners a day, many of them
189:
339:
249:
247:
218:
216:
214:
185:
183:
181:
179:
244:
211:
13:
14:
403:
176:
392:1973 crimes in the United States
287:Casetext: Smarter Legal Research
143:
367:1973 fires in the United States
362:History of Miami Beach, Florida
275:
164:Concord Florida, Inc. v. Lewin
1:
190:Archives (January 28, 2019).
169:
129:
96:1973 Miami Beach firebombing
19:1973 Miami Beach firebombing
7:
109:
10:
408:
84:
76:
68:
52:
34:
23:
18:
40:; 51 years ago
38:February 2, 1973
150:Bal Harbour, Florida
100:Miami Beach, Florida
28:Miami Beach, Florida
323:25.7952°N 80.1291°W
319: /
352:Arson in the 1970s
289:. January 17, 1977
263:. February 4, 1973
260:The New York Times
232:. February 3, 1973
229:The New York Times
328:25.7952; -80.1291
92:
91:
399:
377:Restaurant fires
347:Arson in Florida
334:
333:
331:
330:
329:
324:
320:
317:
316:
315:
312:
299:
298:
296:
294:
279:
273:
272:
270:
268:
251:
242:
241:
239:
237:
220:
209:
208:
206:
204:
187:
48:
46:
41:
16:
15:
407:
406:
402:
401:
400:
398:
397:
396:
387:1973 in Florida
337:
336:
327:
325:
321:
318:
313:
310:
308:
306:
305:
303:
302:
292:
290:
281:
280:
276:
266:
264:
253:
252:
245:
235:
233:
222:
221:
212:
202:
200:
188:
177:
172:
146:
132:
120:home style food
112:
88:Charles Reardon
55:
44:
42:
39:
12:
11:
5:
405:
395:
394:
389:
384:
379:
374:
369:
364:
359:
354:
349:
301:
300:
274:
243:
210:
174:
173:
171:
168:
145:
142:
131:
128:
116:Collins Avenue
111:
108:
90:
89:
86:
82:
81:
78:
74:
73:
70:
66:
65:
56:
53:
50:
49:
36:
32:
31:
25:
21:
20:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
404:
393:
390:
388:
385:
383:
380:
378:
375:
373:
370:
368:
365:
363:
360:
358:
355:
353:
350:
348:
345:
344:
342:
335:
332:
288:
284:
278:
262:
261:
256:
250:
248:
231:
230:
225:
219:
217:
215:
199:
198:
193:
186:
184:
182:
180:
175:
167:
165:
160:
157:
155:
151:
144:The aftermath
141:
138:
127:
125:
121:
117:
107:
105:
101:
97:
87:
83:
79:
75:
71:
67:
64:
60:
57:
51:
37:
33:
29:
26:
22:
17:
304:
291:. Retrieved
286:
277:
265:. Retrieved
258:
234:. Retrieved
227:
201:. Retrieved
197:Miami Herald
195:
163:
161:
158:
147:
133:
113:
95:
93:
326: /
85:Perpetrator
59:Firebombing
54:Attack type
341:Categories
314:80°07′45″W
311:25°47′43″N
170:References
137:turnstiles
130:The attack
45:1973-02-02
104:cafeteria
124:retirees
110:Location
24:Location
293:July 4,
267:July 4,
236:July 4,
203:July 4,
77:Injured
43: (
69:Deaths
30:, U.S.
154:arson
63:arson
295:2021
269:2021
238:2021
205:2021
94:The
35:Date
80:139
343::
285:.
257:.
246:^
226:.
213:^
194:.
178:^
61:,
297:.
271:.
240:.
207:.
72:3
47:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.