Pocono News Section

5 Years Later Avoca Diner Arsonist Still Not Caught

5 Years Later Avoca Diner Arsonist Still Not Caught - Tuesday, March 9, 2010 at 4:30PM EST

Reported by: Eyewitness News
Tuesday, Mar 9, 2010 @ 05:30pm EST
AVOCA, LUZERNE COUNTY Ð It's been five years since fire destroyed a long standing diner, and the search for the person who set that fire continues. The Avoca diner was gutted by flames and the arsonist was never caught.

It was a sight many people in Avoca will never forget, flames ripping through the Avoca diner and two nearby building on Main Street.

It was the morning of February 25th, 2005. The Avoca Diner was the place to be in the tiny Luzerne County community. Today it remains boarded up.

Al Tullio ran the popular restaurant for more than 25 years until that fateful morning. "We had a lot of friends, family who came there and we met a lot of nice people. We still see some with my catering business. But I miss those people," he said.

Investigators say the fire was started on the floor just inside the window and then there was a snake-like pattern of an accelerant like kerosene or gasoline.

"Somebody may know something. Maybe somebody overlooked some piece of evidence," Tullio speculates.

Tullio says the main thing was nobody was injured. Four people lived in an apartment upstairs.

If you have any information contact state police.