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Neir’s Tavern in Woodhaven targeted in burglary, fundraiser planned for 180-year-old bar

Neir's bar in Queens -- a 180-year-old institution owned by FDNY Lt. Loycent Gordon -- was burglarized, likely in the early morning hours of Sept. 11, 2017, police said.
Neir’s bar in Queens — a 180-year-old institution owned by FDNY Lt. Loycent Gordon — was burglarized, likely in the early morning hours of Sept. 11, 2017, police said. Photo Credit: Getty Images / Paul Drinkwater

There’s nothing funny about this caper at a historic Queens “Goodfellas” bar.

Neir’s Tavern, a 180-year-old Woodhaven institution that once served as a backdrop for scenes in Martin Scorsese’s mob classic, was burglarized on Monday.

A suspect pried open the bar’s side door and grabbed $925 from the register, as well as an unknown amount of money from an ATM, according to the NYPD.

The incident happened between the time the bar closed just after midnight on Sept. 11, and 6 a.m. that same day. Police said the investigation is ongoing, and there is not yet a description of a suspect.

The bar is owned by Loycent Gordon, an FDNY lieutenant who joined the department after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. The Woodhaven community has rallied around Gordon, who worked with a group of partners to revive and refurbish Neir’s in 2010.

“He has always looked for ways to help other people, and if you know Loy then you know that’s just the way he is,” said Edward Wendell, a Woodhaven historian and community activist. “On 9/11 of all days, a firefighter gets robbed in New York City.”

Wendell is helping to organize a “friendraiser” at Neir’s on Sept. 23 to replace items and funds stolen from the bar.