'Crazy Eddie' North Jersey Electronics Chain Owner Dead At 68: Reports (video)

PARAMUS, N.J. — Eddie Antar, the boss of the Crazy Eddie electronics store empire who was arrested and charged with fraud after a federal investigation, died Saturday, according to reports.

Antar, 68, was the boss of the retail chain that, at its peak, had three dozen stores on the East Coast. Antar opened the first store in Brooklyn. He started selling televisions in the Port Authority Bus Terminal when he was 16 and the business grew from there.

The first Crazy Eddie store in New Jersey opened in 1997 in Paramus, according to the Crain's New York report.

Emil Gerring, the Paramus store's landlord, said that Antar and his cousin Sam were the first in the area to do what they did and, "people loved it."

The chain was known for its 1980s television commercials featuring a loud pitchman who told people that the deals at Crazy Eddie's were "insane!"

At its peak, Crazy Eddie operated 43 stores, nearly all of them in New York, and had annual sales of $350 million, according to Crane's.

Antar was indicted on securities fraud and insider trading charges. He pleaded guilty to federal fraud charges and was sentenced to prison, the Associated Press reported.

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com

YouTube screenshot of Eddie Antar