There’s something fishy about this dogfight.
A popular seafood truck in Rockaway Park, Queens, has been put out of business after a dispute between the owners saw one of them hijack the truck, according to a lawsuit.
Jared Adler says he has no idea why his childhood friend Terence McNicholas essentially shut down the business, which they had dubbed The Fisherman’s Dog.
“We just want to keep operating,” Adler. “I’m at a loss as to why someone would stop us.”
Adler and McNicholas, both 25, launched The Fisherman’s Dog in August 2012 after they were laid off — Adler, from his job in the plumbing and heating industry, and McNicholas, from a beer distributor.
They used their life savings to buy a used truck and fixed it up, then later raised more than $7,000 via Kickstarter to revamp the vehicle.
When Hurricane Sandy devastated the Rockaways, the pair turned their truck into a soup kitchen, working for weeks to feed people whose homes and businesses had been devastated.
They brought on a third partner, Alan Artieda, 24, in February or March. But by May, McNicholas had decided he didn’t want to work on the truck anymore — though he had no plans to give up his share of the profits, according to a lawsuit filed last month in Queens Supreme Court.
Adler and Artieda say they tried to negotiate, but to no avail. McNicholas, whose parents owned the Beach Channel Drive lot used by The Fisherman’s Dog, then evicted his former buddies.
Adler and Artieda found a new place to park the truck and brought The Fisherman’s Dog there, only to have McNicholas allegedly break in “without authority or permission” and move it back to his parents’ lot, they claim in court papers.
“It’s very acrimonious,” lawyer Jaime Lathrop said. “He took his ball and went home with it.”
Getting the business going was great, said Adler, who is baffled by the apparent downfall of The Fisherman’s Dog.
“It was exciting. It was fun too,” he said of the start. “We were so glad that this community supported us.”
But now, “I just want to get back to work,” he said.
McNicholas did not return calls for comment.