Diner Arson Gets Whitestone Man 14 Years In Prison

 

Whitestone resident Michael P. Trantel  on April 1 was sentenced to seven to 14 years in state prison for setting a fire that virtually destroyed a landmark neighborhood diner and surrounding stores.

Trantel, age 42, admitted that he broke into the Lollipops Diner, 153-31 Cross Island Pkwy. North, at about 1 a.m. on Nov. 2, 2008, and after stealing some cigarettes and a lighter, set a bag of Halloween candy on fire. The fire caused extensive smoke, flame and water damage to the diner, which was closed for business at the time. According to court papers, surveillance video showed Trantel outside the diner, as well as entering from the front of the diner and exiting from the rear.

 The cause of the fire was investigated by the Joint Arson Task Force, which included members of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, New York Field Division; the New York City Police Department Arson and Explosion Squad, and the Special Investigations Unit of the Bureau of Fire Investigation of the New York City Fire Department.  Trantel was arrested by fire marshals assigned to the FDNY Bureau of Fire Investigations, Citywide North Command, and Special Investigations Unit. He has been held without bail since his arrest in November 2008.  Last month, Trantel, who gave his residence as 15-29 159th St., Whitestone, pleaded guilty to third-degree arson before Acting Queens Supreme Court Justice James Griffin, who today imposed the sentence.

 “[Trantel] has pleaded guilty to set a devastating fire that destroyed a popular business and caused extensive damage to neighboring stores. The fire could easily have caused serious injuries or death to firefighters charged with fighting the blaze or others who may have been inside or around the building,” Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown said. “This lengthy prison sentence is more than warranted. ”