Authorities charge man for pouring gasoline at entrance of New York restaurant

NEW YORK - Authorities charged a man with 120 counts of attempted murder and attempted arson after he poured gasoline at the entrance of a busy restaurant, prosecutors said Sunday.<br> <br> Rosty Encarnacion, 23, was thrown out of La Nueva Plaza restaurant in the Queens Village section of New York City&#39;s Queens borough around 1 a.m. Sunday, said Betsy Herzog, a spokeswoman for the Queens district attorney&#39;s office.<br> <br> He returned about 15 minutes later and dumped gasoline from a 5-gallon container at the restaurant&#39;s entrance, Herzog said. A witness flagged down a police officer, who arrested Encarnacion, Herzog said.<br> <br> Encarnacion was charged Sunday night with 120 counts of second-degree attempted murder and second-degree attempted arson, first-degree reckless endangerment and third-degree criminal trespass, Herzog said. He was being held on $110,000 bail.<br> <br> His lawyer, Lisa Salvatore, did not immediately return a telephone message left at her office. There was no telephone number listed for Encarnacion at the address provided by the district attorney&#39;s office.<br> <br> District Attorney Richard Brown said the incident could have been as devastating as a March 1990 fire that killed 87 people at a Bronx club called Happy Land.<br> <br> Julio Gonzalez was convicted of murder, arson and assault in the fire. He is serving 25 years to life in prison. <br> <br>

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