Several recovering from injuries
received at pub
BY JOHN DUNPHY
Staff Writer
A series of stabbings at a South River tavern last week left seven people injured and a 29-year-old Sayreville man incarcerated.
The St. Patrick’s Day party also left a neighborhood bar not just feeling for the victims, but also concerned about the reputation of the business.
“We feel totally responsible for this, but we feel we’re the victims,” said Mike Barry, owner of the South River Pub. “Our business is the victim.”
Mark Alleyne, 29, of the Parlin section of Sayreville, was charged early Friday morning with several counts of aggravated assault after, police say, he returned to the pub after being thrown out by security and proceeded to stab at least five patrons.
Police said Alleyne was intoxicated when he was thrown out of the St. Patrick’s Day party. They believe he went to his car to retrieve a knife and returned to the bar saying he had left his money inside. When a security employee told him he would look for his money, Alleyne stabbed the employee. He then stabbed several patrons nearby before running off, police said.
An off-duty state corrections officer who was a patron at the bar was also injured after he attempted to aid in the suspect’s apprehension. The officer, who was not identified by police, accidentally shot himself in the foot while attempting to retrieve his firearm from an ankle holster during the melee.
All those injured were taken to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, New Brunswick, for treatment.
Timothy Maing, 34, of South River, John Ovellette, 19, of Laurence Harbor, and Robert Alfrey, 27, of East Brunswick, were treated and released that night.
Scott Anderson, 22, of East Brunswick, Reynaldo Leon, 27, Sayreville, and Dorian Graham Moore, 18, South River, were all admitted to the hospital and later released, according to Sgt. Mark Tinitigan of the South River Police Department.
Police arrested Alleyne just after the incident on Stephen Street with the aid of an off-duty New Jersey state trooper who was also at the pub. Tinitigan said a pocket knife with a 4-inch blade was recovered from Alleyne at the time of his arrest.
The suspect is being held at the Middlesex County Adult Correction Center, North Brunswick, in lieu of $250,000 bail.
Barry, the longtime owner of the South River Pub, said nothing like what happened Friday morning has ever happened before.
“We’ve been here for 25 years and [have had] very minimal problems,” he said. “We’ve never, ever had to deal with someone with a weapon.”
He wanted to set the record straight as far as safety is concerned in his establishment.
“We run a very local, friendly, fun-type atmosphere,” Barry said. “This guy was an extreme madman. How are we supposed to know that when he comes to the door?”
The pub was prepared to deal with a large volume of people for St. Patrick’s Day, with workers checking for ID at each door and five security personnel.
“We felt we did everything right,” Barry said. When the stabbing took place, the bar called for “every ambulance,” he said.
“We wanted to make sure there were enough officers chasing this guy and made sure the people who got hurt got to the hospital quickly.”
South River officers, along with police from surrounding towns including Sayreville, Milltown and East Brunswick responded to the scene.
Barry said he believes it was the accidental gunshot by the off-duty corrections officer that caused Alleyne to run, possibly preventing further injuries.
“I want to make sure this guy is praised,” he said. “That [gunshot] is what stopped the madman with the knife. When [the suspect] heard that gunshot, he ran off.”
Barry also gave credit to the off-duty trooper who ran after the suspect and helped police apprehend him.
With the suspect in custody and the injured patrons in recovery, Barry wants the public to know his establishment is safe.
“Thank God everybody is fine,” Barry said. “Some people got [hurt], but nobody was hurt seriously. The bad part is, we’re the victims. It happened to our friends and the people who worked for us.”