Freddy’s Beach Bar was the target of an attempted arson attack in the early morning hours of January 9, when someone intentionally set fire to the entrance.
said Freddie Lutz, a Northern Virginia bar owner. metro weekly The bar reportedly received a veiled threat from an anonymous caller the day before the fire.
“He basically said, ‘I’m going to fuck you guys up, I’m going to mess up the guys in the bar, and I’m going to go hit up the women, whatever that means,'” Lutz said.
Just hours after the fire was extinguished, the same anonymous caller called back with an almost identical message.
It remains unclear whether the caller had any connection to the fire.
Lutz said the would-be arsonist used some type of object, which is unknown at this time, to start a fire inside the bar’s front entryway, which opens to an enclosed patio.
The fire scorched the roof of the front door and entryway, but did not scorch the awning, the remainder of the patio, or any other part of the building. The front door needs to be replaced, Lutz said.
So were two other nearby stores, Crystal City Sports Pub and McNamara’s. Targeted by an arsonist Between 4:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. on January 9th.
The fires at Freddy’s Beach Bar and McNamara’s appear to have been started in a similar manner.
The Fire Marshal’s Office initially announced the fire was “suspicious in nature,” but later classified the fire as a form of arson. The office also asked for the public’s help in identifying the individuals who set the fire. video footage A security camera across the street showed the fire starting at Freddy’s.
Video footage shows a person, whose face cannot be clearly seen, walking west on South 23rd Street toward the door of Freddy’s. The person appears to be squatting down and adjusting something. They then begin walking as the front door is illuminated by flames.
The person seen in the video walks down the street, turns right onto South Fern Street, and turns the corner just past McNamara’s Pub and Restaurant. As the person leaves Freddy’s house, he appears to be holding a can or some other container in his left hand.
Officials told Lutz that when the suspected arsonist targeted the Crystal City Sports Pub, he threw a black tablecloth over the Christmas tree and soaked it in some type of accelerant before setting it on fire. He said it would be done.
Lutz was also told by investigators that they believed the fire at Freddie’s house was started using kerosene.
Latz said that while the fire at a nearby store may seem at first glance to contradict the theory that Freddy’s was targeted because it is a gay bar, police classify the arson as a hate crime. He said he was told that he had not yet ruled out the possibility. Anti-LGBTQ hostility may have been a motive as to why Freddy’s was one of three businesses targeted by arsonists.
This is not the first threat Freddie has received in recent years. In April 2024, Freddie’s was the target of a bomb threat over a drag queen story time event the bar was hosting. The bar was evacuated and the event was temporarily postponed, but no incendiary device was found.
A second email threatened to blow up the bar’s sister location in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.
Lutz has also received personal threats, including email threats to blow up his South Arlington home or cause personal bodily harm.
“I’m more worried about the bomb threats and death threats regarding copycat criminals than I am about this incident,” he said. “This does not appear to be a targeted hate crime, but…[police] That possibility has not been ruled out. ”
Freddy’s has resumed business as usual, but Lutz remains wary of the possibility of further incidents. “We are always on guard. The bomb threats and death threats have made us even more so,” he said.
“It’s a crazy world we live in, and we have to be careful,” Lutz continued. “We’ve been doing active shooter training at Freddy’s. I said [karaoke host]”They’re in a position where they can see the front door, so if someone comes through that front door with a gun or is masked, grab that fire extinguisher and detonate it.”
Source: Metro Weekly – www.metroweekly.com
