Workers at NYC pizza restaurant attacked

NEW YORK - A man accused of "envy, jealousy and spike" attacked an owner and worker at a Manhattan pizza joint.  One of them suffered a fractured arm.

It happened at Unregular Pizza on 4th Ave. near E. 13th St. in Union Square.

The restaurant's owner says the attacker is known to the restaurant staff.

He first posted a threat on their Instagram page and then showed up and started throwing glass salt and pepper shakers and ceramic objects at the staff.  He also shattered the front door.

"This was a traumatic experience and we hope, we will recover soon," the pizza restaurant said in an Instagram post.

The staff member with the broken arm went to a hospital for treatment.

Unregular Pizza set up a GoFundMe to pay for the door and the medical expenses for the injured worker.

"These acts of violence and vandalism will not go unnoticed. We won’t let bullies take us down," the restaurant posted.

FOX 5 News spoke with Gabriele Lamonaco, the owner of the restaurant when he first opened the pizza shop in 2021. He had previously built a huge following on Instagram by posting photos of the beautiful pizzas he created in his girlfriend's kitchen and then bartering rather than selling them. It eventually helped him achieve his dream of opening his own pizza joint.

The bartering remained a part of the program when Unregular Pizza opened its physical location.