BRIDGEPORT, Connecticut — He must have thought a little T & A stood for torch and arson.
A one-time prominent saxophone player and the son of the former mayor of Bridgeport has been arrested for allegedly trying to burn down a strip club that had refused to let him in.
Stephen Moran, the son of former Mayor Mary Moran, who led Bridgeport from 1989-1991, had been thrown out of Scruples Gentleman’s Club last week for allegedly creating a disturbance, cops said.
As he was leaving, police said he set fire to a bush outside the club, which was quickly extinguished.
But on Friday night, the 54-year-old Moran returned and after being told he couldn’t come in, police say he came back with a can of gasoline, which he allegedly splashed on the building and then set it on fire.
Club employees were able to put out the fire and held Moran until police arrived. He was charged with second-degree arson, reckless burning and first-degree reckless endangerment.
“This is a serious arson case,” prosecutor Nicholas Bove said, according to the Connecticut Post. He said the owners of the strip club worry Moran might try to strike again.
Moran was once a well-respected saxophone player, performing in the 1990s with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra. But his life took a turn, and in 2018 and 2019, he had numerous alcohol-fueled arrests.
Moran’s lawyer asked for leniency for Moran, saying he needs to be home to care for his parents who are both ill with coronavirus.
The judge agreed the incident was serious and noted that Moran is awaiting sentencing in the same court for numerous other charges, so ordered him held on $300,000 bond.
