By Catharina Thuemling
The Five-Two’s taking some extreme measures to shut down a Fordham nightclub.
After the latest incident at the Xtreme Lounge on Oct. 5 when one person was fatally shot and five others injured, the 52nd Precinct is primed to shut down the nightclub for good after employees allegedly sold alcohol to minors.
According to Inspector Nilda Hofmann, commanding officer of 52nd Precinct, the club is accused of repeatedly serving underage people after operations conducted by the New York State Liquor Authority.
“You would think that right after the club get’s all these incidents, got all this attention, you would think that [the club] would be on point,” Hofmann said at recent community meeting.
The club on Valentine Avenue on Fordham Road had no recorded incidents of violations of the license before. But after the weekend brawl, the nightclub drew attention from the police and the liquor authority. “I’m working and I am in court right now to try to take the liquor license away. That’s really my goal,” said Hofmann and earned applause from the audience at the community board meeting.
The nightclub, doubling as a restaurant, is still serving food from the front, but the club hasn’t been opened since the brutal incident allegedly carried out. The melee, stretching several blocks from Valentine Avenue towards the corner of Fordham Road, resulted in the death of Dennis Rodriguez of Mott Haven.
The murder outside the club is still unsolved and the police are looking for eyewitnesses and the shooter, seen fleeing the scene in a white car.
A fake phone number purported to belong to Xtreme Lounge was listed on the club’s website.