Sean Kuilan Wiki
Sean Kuilan Biography
Sean Kuilan, 34, was charged with reckless endangerment and criminal mischief in the VERS bar brick-throwing attacks, including an incident caught on video Saturday night, the New York police chief of detectives said. , James Essig.
“Basically what he’s saying [is] that he knows a girl who had a problem with one of the guys at the bar and he was ‘seeking revenge,'” Essig said. “As of now we have no reason to believe it is [a hate crime].”
Kuilan is being charged with only three of the four recent bar attacks because police don’t have video surveillance of one of the incidents, Essig said.
“I am gay myself,” Kuilan said as he was led out of a police vehicle and escorted to court in handcuffs Tuesday night.
When asked why he threw the bricks, he replied: “Something personal.”
Suspect
The suspect, nicknamed “Paper Kid,” is known in the neighborhood and was tracked down thanks to tips from the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers hotline, the chief added.
Kuilan was arrested by the department’s warrant squad and was also wanted on a warrant in a threatening case on Sept. 2, 2021, the chief said.
Police said he is now accused of targeting the bar three times, including throwing bricks at the front window on Nov. 13, and shortly after again on Nov. 15.
Police on Monday released photos and video from the latest incident, on Nov. 19, showing the suspect approaching the bar around 10 p.m. and throwing a rock while patrons were sitting behind glass before running off.
Attack
Patrons were not hurt thanks to the shatterproof panel installed by owner David DeParolesa, who said it was a precaution against anti-gay attacks.
DeParolesa said it was the fourth time the bar has been the target of “puzzling” attacks.
“I am very happy that the case is moving forward and that the detectives on the case have been diligent and that there is progress,” DeParolesa told The Post on Tuesday. “I really hope it’s just this one person and we can close the book, I’m not sure it is.”
He added that the police presence in the area is now “a night and day difference” compared to last week.
“There’s a full, coordinated effort and a lot of visibility,” DeParolesa said. “Even since then, there was a Zoom meeting with local gay bar owners and the venue closest to us that was intended to help increase communication between us.”
But the bar owner told The Post that the suspect’s story about a girl makes no sense and is not true.
“There is no girl,” he said Wednesday. “I really have no idea what she’s talking about.”
DeParolesa said he doesn’t know Kulian’s motive and said he and other bar employees didn’t recognize the alleged brick-thrower.
Saturday’s attack came the same night that five people were shot to death and more were injured in a mass shooting at a Colorado Springs LGBTQ nightclub.
VERS opened earlier this year, and DeParolesa said the attacks won’t stop him from opening the bar at 5 p.m. Sunday “as always”.
