New Jersey pizzeria fires manager who allegedly sent anti-Semitic texts

JTA — A New Jersey pizzeria has fired the manager accused of sending anti-Semitic text messages to a teenage employee after he asked to take off for a Jewish holiday.

The family that owns Maurizio’s Pizzeria & Italian Ristorante in Eatontown, New Jersey, also has apologized to the teen who worked as a pizza delivery driver.

Nicholas Bogan, 17, had been working for a short time at the pizzeria, when he asked to take off the first night of Rosh Hashanah.

A lawsuit filed by Bogan and his parents in late November alleges that the store manager, Francesco Scotto Di Rinaldi, then sent a series of offensive text messages, which included Hitler references.

The Schianodicola family, owners of the pizzeria, had been visiting Italy for three weeks, and were there when the news of the lawsuit broke earlier this month.

“The actions of this one employee are inexcusable and completely distasteful, [and] such actions will not be tolerated,” the family said in a statement to NJ.com.

“We would like to be clear that the single actions of this employee in no way reflects the beliefs and values of the owners of Maurizio’s…. Most importantly, we would like to apologize to Mr. Bogan and his family for any hardship or offense that these events have caused his family,” the statement also said.

The restaurant has been receiving “hateful” messages and phone calls since the lawsuit was made public, NJ.com reported.

In the lawsuit, Bogan is seeking back pay, benefits and punitive damages. He also asks the court to order pizzeria employees and supervisors to undergo anti-discrimination and anti-harassment training, according to the report.