As if you needed any further reason to steer clear of McFadden's after last weekend's massive brawl, the Daily News recalls that this isn't the first time blood's been spilled at the Turtle Bay bar and restaurant. Back in 2004, one Todd Barnes took his date there for a drink and walked out with part of his ear missing, courtesy of one of New York's bravest.
Or so he contends—his assailant was never positively identified, but firefighter Sal Falesto, a brother of the bar's co-owner, was drinking at the bar with 20 or 30 off-duty firefighters. Barnes's lawyers obtained emails from a private investigator hired by McFadden's, revealing that earlier in the night a bouncer wanted to eject the firefighters for their unruly behavior, only to be rebuffed by Falesto's brother.
Later, Barnes and a firefighter bumped into each other, and in the ensuing brawl somebody tore off a chunk of his ear with a broken beer bottle. So yeah, maybe check out the Campbell Apartment next time you're around 42nd Street. On the other hand, Barnes did get nearly $1 million in the court settlement, so anyone got an FDNY T-shirt we can borrow?
