A 22-year old man was charged with reckless manslaughter on Sunday, Feb. 9 for a fatal assault outside a Hoboken bar.
Joseph Barbara, 22, of Keyport was arrested in connection with the death of Jonathan Wende, 22, of Moonachie. Wende, whose father lives in North Bergen, died Friday Feb. 7, six days after being found unconscious outside of the Cadillac Bar, located at 38 Newark St. Wende was a victim of a punch that left him unconscious in front of the bar at approximately 3 a.m. on Feb. 1.
According to Assistant Hudson County Prosecutor Pat Raviola, Wende had just left the Cadillac Bar and was involved in an argument with a group of men waiting for a limousine that they hired to take them back to Keyport. According to Raviola, the incident occurred near the bar’s closing time and there were dozens of people milling about in the street outside the bar.
During the argument, Wende began to back away, sensing that it might turn violent, said Raviola. At that time, Joseph Barbara, 22, allegedly lurched forward and punched Wende in the temple, Raviola added.
Wende, who suffered a severe skull fracture, was rushed to Jersey City Medical Center, where he lay unconscious for six days before he died. According to Raviola, Wende never regained consciousness. He fought for his life at Jersey City Medical Center, surrounded by his family, childhood friends, and fraternity brothers.
Barbara was arrested on Feb. 9 at 8 p.m. at his home without incident, according to Raviola. He has since been officially charged with reckless manslaughter. His bail has been set at $50,000.
Wende graduated from the University of Rhode Island last May with a degree in business management. He attended Hudson Catholic School in Jersey City as a high school freshman, but transferred to Paramus Catholic School before his sophomore year. Wende graduated in 1998 and played ice hockey at both schools.
Wende, who was born in North Bergen, has a sister Heather, 20, and a brother Zachary, 11. He had recently begun a union apprenticeship in the air conditioning business, with the intention of starting his own business, according to published reports.
Outside the bar
Even though the assault occurred on the street outside the bar, the incident might have a lasting impact on the entire Hoboken bar scene. Mayor David Roberts expressed his condolences to the Wende family Tuesday and said that safety at Hoboken’s nightspots is of the utmost concern to him.
“I’m shaken by this incident,” said Roberts, whose family owns East L.A. restaurant on Washington Street. “I’m very concerned that this took place, and I have instructed Police Chief [Carmen] LaBruno to conduct a full investigation on how we can prevent something like this from happening in the future.”
The mayor said that the Cadillac Bar had a checkered history. “This bar has just recently paid the biggest fine and served the longest suspension in the city’s history, and now something like this happens,” he said. The night of the fatal incident was the first night that the Cadillac Bar was re-opened after being shut down for 30 days for Alcoholic Beverage Control Board (ABC) violations.
According to city spokesperson Bill Campbell, Boo Boo’s Bar, the Cadillac Bar, and the Clam Broth House restaurant, which are next to each other on Newark Street, have been found guilty of 15 Alcoholic Beverage Control board violations between March of 1996 and March of 1999. According to Campbell, the violations included allegedly serving minors, serving intoxicated individuals, and allowing brawls to take place on premises.
Campbell added that under a settlement reached Sept. 17, 2002, the licenses of the bars were suspended for 110 days and the bars were shut down for 30 days, from Jan. 2 to Feb. 1, 2003.
All are currently owned by Penque-Risky Corporation, but Penque-Risky was not the owner of the bars when the original violations occurred. However, according to Nick Acocella, the current chairman of the ABC board, the violations follow the liquor license and not the owners. The board made the new owner fully aware of the pending violations before the liquor license was transferred, Acocella said.
The city’s ABC Board issues and approves transfers of liquor licenses, conducts hearings, and has the authority to dole out suspensions and revocations of liquor licenses.
Police presence
Roberts added that it is his goal to have uniformed police officers in front of these bars at the expense of the bar owners.
“I’m sure if there was a uniformed officer in front of that door, this terrible tragedy would have never happened,” said Roberts. “This is something that we have to do to insure the safety of their patrons and the residents of Hoboken.”
Multiple calls and e-mails to the Cadillac Bar were not returned before press time.
Bar reactions
Around the mile-square city, several prominent club/bar owners reacted last week to the news of Jonathan Wende’s death outside a local bar.
Sean Hession, owner and operator of Willie McBride’s on Grand Street, said that what happened to Wende is horrible and should have been prevented. His bar, he said, does not attract the same crowd as most of the places near the PATH station. He said that in general, a way to ensure the safety of one’s patrons is to not allow intoxicated people in the bar. Hession said he also gives warnings to people who begin to behave disorderly.
“The safety of our patrons is our first priority,” Hession said. “We never want to see anybody hurt.”
The Madison’s Dave Carney, one of the founders of Hoboken’s Hospitality Association, was very saddened by the news of Wende’s death. He has always been in favor of having more uniform police officers patrolling the streets on the weekends to make the nightlife safer, but the bars should not pay for it.
“I feel bad for the people at the Cadillac Bar and Wende’s family,” Carney said. “We pay so much in taxes that we can’t afford to pay for police officers. That should be the city’s responsibility.”
Carney and other members of the Hospitality Association will meet with city officials in the coming weeks to discuss Hoboken’s nightlife.
Like many of the clubs by the PATH, Maxwell’s on Washington Street attracts large crowds on the weekends. Co-owner Todd Abramson said one of the best ways to control problematic situations at the bar is to give warnings to patrons and if the problems persist, escort the people out.
“I think Hoboken’s nightlife is still very safe. Problems are part of society, you’ll find problems anywhere you go,” Abramson said. “It’s good business sense to be more vigilant. If your customers are happy they’ll come back.”
(Hudson Current editor Eugene Mulero contributed to this report).