Metro

DA investigating reBar owner who ran off with couples’ cash

A runaway restaurateur was under investigation by the Brooklyn district attorney when he suddenly shut his doors last week, leaving dozens of brides and grooms in the lurch after they forked over big bucks for upcoming receptions.

A source with knowledge of the probe told The Post on Tuesday that DA’s investigators raided Jason Steven’s reBar “gastropub” in April 2013 to seize the business’ records and computers.

Authorities acted after receiving multiple financial complaints against the popular DUMBO eatery and event space, which abruptly closed down on Friday, with one employee telling a reporter Monday that its workers all got stiffed out of three weeks’ pay by Stevens.

The darkened restaurant was a shambles on Monday, its bar littered with half-empty bottles of booze and partially eaten hamburgers. At one point, a linen-company worker showed up to drop off a $1,300 bill.

Bride-to-be Stephanie Kutch, 26, said she and fiancé Christian Pascarella, 34, both of Brooklyn, spent their life savings of $17,500 to reserve the space for next year.

“I’m lost,” Kutch said. “We’re trying to keep cool, but we’ve got to start over from scratch.”

Stevens’ competitors quickly stepped up to try to accommodate the crushed couples, with some offering discounts.

“We’re getting so many emails, and they’re so hard to read. These clients are really devastated. Some have lost almost $30,000 to $40,000,” said Slavica Stafanovic, manager of Baco, which is slashing its prices by up to 50 percent.

Brooklyn Winery manger Rachel Sackheim said, “The calls have been nonstop” since reBar closed.

“Over the weekend, I spoke with one couple, and we were able to book their wedding for June 1,” she said. “This couple had lost around $20,000, and at the end of the meeting, everyone in the room just broke down and cried.”

Katie Iles, co-founder of the Nine Lines digital-strategy firm, set up an online fund to raise money for reBar victims – including employee Monica Pereira, who’s set to be hitched June 28.

Pereira, 32, said she and fiancée David Zisa lost $21,000 they paid for an 85-guest reception and are scrambling to see whether they can hold the party at the nearby Jane’s Carousel, where their ceremony is planned.

Stevens didn’t return a phone message and email seeking comment.

Additional reporting by Lorena Mongelli