A wild and crazy night at the Stadium Bar and Grill on Woerner Avenue in Levittown led to several serious incidents one night last summer.
Now, nine men will head to trial in connection with the multiple assaults, robbery and madness outside the Bristol Township bar on Saturday, August 16.
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Four men – Samuel Padilla Jr., 25, of Bristol Township; Michael Gonzalez, 22, of Bristol Borough; Onorio Velez, 20, of Bristol Township; and Carlos Baltazar, 26, of Bristol Township’s Croydon section – had charges including robbery and assault forwarded onto trial. Velez will also face a charge of criminal attempted homicide.
Anthony Verderame, 21, of Bristol Township; Shaquille Legette, 21, of Bristol Borough; Phillip Budion, 24, of Bristol Township’s Croydon section; William Ellershaw, 24, of Bristol Township; and Bryandyn Smith, 25, of Bristol Township all waived their cases onto trial.
One man – Steven Evens Jr., 21, of Bristol Township – remains at large and is wanted by police.
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The preliminary hearing before District Judge Joanne Kline on Monday was held at the old courthouse in Doylestown due to logistics.
According to court documents, witnesses saw a group of men assault Falls Township volunteer firefighter Steven Basalyga after a night at the bar. Basalyga was punched by Padilla before Velez lunged his right hand toward the firefighter and made a “stabbing motion,” police allege.
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The Bucks County Courier Times reports bouncer Keith Bratt testified for two hours about the incidents and said Padilla was kicked out of the bar due to an earlier altercation but allowed back in by another bouncer before the stabbing.
Detective Tim Fuhrmann wrote that the then 21-year-old suffered a “large bleeding wound” to the chest.
Around the same time, a second incident happened, police said.
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The second incident involved Nicholas Sylvia being attacked as he left the bar following an altercation where a man “got in his face.” Sylvia was allegedly attacked by several men and Kelan Caccavella was stabbed. Caccavella was bleeding heavily and pulled in a parking lot in the 6900 block of New Falls Road.
Caccavella reportedly struck a pedestrian and caused them minor injuries as he tried to flee in his car, police said.
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The night of the incidents, Stadium Bar and Grill was hosting a $2 drink special that drew a large crowd, the newspaper reported.
Before charges against the 10 men were filed in March, a grand jury heard testimony in the case before recommending charges.
