Fired Employee Charged With Setting Blaze At Popular Wading River Pizzeria: DA

WADING RIVER, NY — A Holtsville man was indicted on charges including third-degree arson after intentionally setting a fire at a Wading River pizzeria in November, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said Wednesday.

Constantine Sackos, 59, intentionally set a fire at the Pazzo Ristorante and Wood Fired Pizzeria on New York State Route 25A, Tierney said.

According to the investigation, on November 18, 2025, at about 1:57 a.m., a 911 call was received reporting the fire, the DA said.

Members of the Riverhead Town Police Department, the Wading River Fire Department, and several local fire departments responded to the location and contained the fire, the DA said.

After about two hours, the fire was extinguished and a joint investigation involving the Riverhead Town Police Department, the Riverhead Fire Marshal, the Suffolk County Fire Marshal, and the Suffolk County Police Department's arson squad ensued, Tierney said.

The fire was deemed criminal after investigators discovered seven points of origin and a bottle of charcoal lighter fluid at the scene, the DA said.

As a result of a comprehensive investigation comprised of the various law enforcement agencies and the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, Sackos was developed as a suspect, Tierney said.

It was determined that Sackos had been recently terminated from his employment with the Pazzo Ristorante and Wood Fired Pizzeria and had visited the owner’s residence on multiple occasions, both before and after the fire, demanding money for back pay, Tierney said.

An extensive video canvass revealed that, on November 17, 2025, several hours before the fire, Sackos loaded a bicycle into his Jeep, left his home, and drove to Stop & Shop in Farmingville, where he obtained a bottle of Kingsford Charcoal Lighter Fluid consistent with what was recovered at the scene, the DA said.

Sackos reportedly returned home after he obtained the charcoal lighter fluid but subsequently left again in his Jeep, at about 11:14 p.m., the DA said.

The investigation revealed that the Jeep made its way to the vicinity of the entrance to the North Shore Rail Trail in Mount Sinai, the DA said.

At about 12:38 a.m., an individual consistent in appearance with Sackos rode a bicycle, consistent with the one Sackos loaded into his Jeep, from the exit to the North Shore Rail Trail in the direction of the pizzeria, the DA said.

Video surveillance showed that at 1:50 a.m., an individual consistent in appearance with Sackos exited the Pazzo Ristorante and Wood Fired Pizzeria through the rear of the restaurant, as smoke billowed from the location, the DA said.

At about 1:57 a.m., the same individual was observed riding a bicycle, consistent with the one Sackos reportedly loaded into his Jeep, away from the direction of the pizzeria, the DA said.

At approximately 2:05 a.m., this same individual was observed riding back in the direction of the pizzeria before fleeing a second time, the DA said.

Further video canvass revealed that several hours later, at about 5:05 a.m., Sackos arrived
back home in his Jeep, Tierney said.

At about 9:07 a.m., Sackos was observed unloading his bicycle, which was consistent with the one observed in the vicinity of the fire, from his Jeep and placing it in his garage, the DA said.

On November 20, 2025, a search warrant was executed at Sackos' residence in Holtsville, where clothing, consistent with what was observed on surveillance video, was recovered, the DA said.

Subsequently, a K9 accelerant dog indicated the presence of accelerants on the recovered clothing, the DA said.

On Wednesday, following the comprehensive investigation, which included the execution of numerous search warrants, the collection of extensive surveillance video, and the collaboration of several law enforcement agencies, an indictment was secured and Sackos was placed under arrest, Tierney said.

On Wednesday, Sackos was arraigned on the indictment before Supreme Court Justice Steven
A. Pilewski on charges including one count of third-degree arson, a Class C felony; third-degree burglary, a Class D felony; second-degree criminal mischief, a Class D felony; and petty larceny, Tierney said.

Justice Pilewski ordered Sackos to be placed on supervised release with GPS conditions without
bail because his charges are considered non-bail eligible under current New York State law,
meaning prosecutors cannot ask for, and judges cannot set, bail, Tierney said.

Sackos is due back in court on February 26, and faces 5 to 15 years in prison if convicted on the top count, the DA said.

He is being represented by Anthony La Pinta. Speaking with Patch, La Pinta said: "As in every criminal case, it is very easy to charge someone with a crime, but much more difficult to convict someone of that crime. Arson cases often involve complicated forensic evidence that is not typically found in other investigations."

He added: "We will undertake a careful and thorough review of the evidence and if necessary, we will hire our own forensic experts to challenge the reliability of this evidence. We will fight hard for Constantine. He is more than worthy of our support."

"This was a brazen act of alleged arson that could have resulted in tragedy," said Tierney. "I am grateful for the outstanding work of our first responders who quickly contained the blaze, and for the meticulous investigation conducted by my team, the Riverhead Town Police Department, the fire marshals, and the Suffolk County Police Department's arson squad. Their dedication to protecting our community and bringing this defendant to justice is commendable."

Shocked residents and business owners gathered outside the ashes of the charred building after the fire.

"It's gone," said Hank Isik, who owns Ravaa's Bagels next door, said, surveying the rubble.

It was not the first tragedy the owners of Pazzo Ristorante had seen in recent months.

Owner Anthony Tranchina rushed to the restaurant the morning of the fire and told Patch that he had no idea of how much damage to expect. His wife, he said, had just died a few months earlier.

According to a Facebook post by the business, Maria Tranchina died at 64 in August. "Over the past 9 years, Pazzo has been a great place to get food and pizza in Wading River. Sadly on Monday, August 11, our beloved owner Maria passed away. Pazzo was a dream come true for Maria. She put her heart into everything she did and was so passionate about her team and community. Our hearts are filled with sadness and she will be missed dearly by everyone who had the joy of working with her. Pazzo was more than just a business to her. It was community, it was friendships, and most importantly a whole lot of love. Through her entire adulthood she was passionate about food and feeding the ones she loved. Through Pazzo she was able to give back to her community and made so many friends along the way. She loved her customers like they were family."