Three arrested in brawl at Sayreville nightclub Dems say mayor's call to shut down clubs is not a realistic option BY MICHAEL ACKER Staff Writer SAYREVILLE - Police arrested three Staten Island residents after an early morning fight broke out recently at the Deko Lounge, located on Route 35. Carl Candelaria, 27, was arrested on charges of possession of a weapon with unlawful purpose, unlawful possession of a weapon and resisting arrest at 1:35 a.m. Oct. 12. Also arrested was David Franzese, 27, on charges of aggravated assault, possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose. John Joseph Donadio, 31, was charged with disorderly conduct. Sayreville police, aided by South Amboy and Old Bridge police units, were dispatched to the scene on a report of a violent disturbance with suspects outside the club trying to get back inside. The three suspects who were later arrested reportedly got into an altercation with another group. Security personnel separated them and escorted one of the groups outside. The two groups then met outside, where a fight ensued, police said. Franzese allegedly pulled brass knuckles from his front pocket and swung at a club security employee. He then allegedly punched club owner Demetrios Rexinis in the face and threw his brass knuckles in the woods before fleeing security personnel, who eventually were able to grab and hold him until police arrived. Rexinis was bleeding from the face and was transported to Bayshore Community Hospital, Holmdel, for treatment of lacerations to his forehead and swelling on his nose, according to the police report. Police said the fight was in progress in the lower parking lot area when officers arrived, and some club patrons who were outside the club reportedly fled into the woods upon seeing the police. Club security personnel chased down Candelaria in the parking lot, knocking the suspect into a vehicle. The suspect allegedly threw a knife into the woods before being apprehended. When police instructed him to put his hands behind his back, he allegedly refused and tried to pull away from Patrolman Kevin Connors. The police officer struggled with Candelaria until he was able to place the handcuffs on him. Patrolman Alfred Gawron later recovered a knife in the brush, according to the report. Franzese was reportedly bleeding profusely from the face, and an ambulance was summoned. Candelaria also sustained injuries, and was treated at Raritan Bay Medical Center, Old Bridge division. Donadio had reportedly been hiding in the woods, but turned himself in to the police after Candelaria and Franzese were arrested. Donadio was later charged and released. Franzese and Candelaria were eventually taken to the Middlesex County Adult Correction Center, North Brunswick. Candelaria's bail was set at $25,000 with no 10 percent option, and Franzese's bail was set at $75,000 with no 10 percent option. Club violence in the borough has been an ongoing, contentious issue among elected officials. Republican Mayor Kennedy O'Brien and Democratic Council President Thomas Pollando have criticized each other's responses to incidents of violence at venues including Club Abyss and the Colosseum, both on Route 35. O'Brien has proposed a plan to give clubs three strikes before they are shut down. Pollando, who is challenging O'Brien for mayor in the Nov. 6 election, has said that the mayor's plan gives clubs too many chances, and that the issues should be handled on a case-by-case basis instead. O'Brien said he now wants to do away with nightclubs in the borough. "I think that the era of clubs that border residential neighborhoods, particularly in Sayreville, has come to an end," O'Brien said, making note of the allegation that a patron hit a club owner in the face with brass knuckles. "It seems to attract a very violent crowd." O'Brien said he is asking the borough attorney to find a way to eliminate the licenses of clubs in the borough. He added that violence at clubs has been escalating since the shooting death that occurred at the now-defunct Krome club in 2004. "It's not a question of 'if somebody gets killed,' but 'when somebody gets killed,' and I don't want that to happen," O'Brien said. Pollando said the Deko Lounge is not at fault in this case. "The report shows that there was no wrongdoing from the club, and they were following directions on the conditions set forward," Pollando said. Democratic Councilman Stanley Drwal, who is a member of the council's public safety committee, said the borough has learned the hard way in dealing with previous bars and clubs that the state Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) only allows the borough to do so much in terms of taking action. He said the council has implemented a workable program where the police and the public safety committee look into each incident and make recommendations based on each case. "We have been working on this problem for several years and we have been finetuning it with each case, and the process that we have in place now is one that we know is legal," Drwal said. "I just think the mayor's approach is pure electioneering," he added. Drwal said officials do not want to see any more violence at borough clubs, but in this case the Deko Lounge was not at fault. "The reports we had show they did everything by the book that we asked them to do," Drwal said.