Bio

Charles Reardon was about 49 years old in 1973. That age places his birth around 1923 or 1924.

He lived in Bal Harbour, Florida. 

Murder Story

On February 2, 1973, a fire began at the Concord Cafeteria in Miami Beach. The cafeteria was at 1921 Collins Avenue. It had opened in 1947 and had about 250 seats. It served many diners each day, including many retirees.

The cafeteria was crowded that night. A man entered and started a fire. Intense flames spread quickly. People tried to escape but were blocked by the turnstiles at the entrance. Witnesses saw many injured people lying on the sidewalks and in the road. Victims were taken to four different hospitals. Three people died and 139 were injured, including many who were severely burned. Fourteen people were in critical condition two days later.

Twenty-two minutes after the fire began, 49-year-old Charles Reardon of Bal Harbour walked into a police station and said, "I've done something terrible. I've made a lot of people scream." After being questioned for 12 hours, Reardon was charged with arson and use of a destructive device. He was never prosecuted because he was found incompetent to be tried due to mental illness.

After several months of renovations, the Concord Cafeteria reopened. It closed ten years later, in June 1983, as the last cafeteria in Miami Beach. Many lawsuits were filed by victims and were consolidated into Concord Florida, Inc. v. Lewin. In 1975 the trial court found the restaurant liable, and a district appeals court agreed in 1977. The appeals court said the restaurant had failed to provide proper safety measures such as emergency exits and signs showing their location, and that this left patrons without an escape route.