"You f---ing immigrant, loser," the Fairfield resident then says before trying to enter an area of the store marked "employees only.". My son then went to the bathroom, threw up and fell unconscious to the floor. I feel terrible that I lost my composure so completely. His son's lips turned blue and he could breathe requiring Iannazzo to call 911. Now Hes Charged With a Hate Crime. The police confirmed that a 911 call was received at 1:39 p.m. on Saturday from Mr. Iannazzos home, where a young person was experiencing an allergic reaction. I had returned to Robeks to determine what ingredients were in the smoothie that I had previously ordered.. Mr. Iannazzo placed an order at the Robeks and stressed to the staff that the product must not contain peanuts. Complex Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Merrill Lynch fired Iannazzo on Sunday, after becoming aware of the TikTok video, which has garnered more than 2.6. million views after it was posted on Twitter. We Publish News 24/7. was originally published on My actions at Robeks were wrong, and I deeply regret them, he said. He also lost his job at Merrill Lynch. I cant say it did or did not have peanut butter in it it could have been cross-contaminated to where he did have an allergic reaction, Miranda told News 12. James Iannazzo was arrested in an incident at Robeks in Fairfield, Connecticut, that went viral. After he started to drink his smoothie, my son lost the capacity to breathe properly; his lips and face swelled up, and he required an EpiPen shot, he said, detailing how he had to call 911. She was in the back, already called the police. She said she and another co-worker had to block the door because before I started recording he tried to get in multiple times., Hill added, For anybody who is saying they would have handled it differently, like throwing stuff at him, thats not going to make it better. Edit. Copyright 2023 Interactive One, LLC. James Iannazzo, 48, purchased a smoothie at Robeks on Black Rock Turnpike on Saturday afternoon and about 30 minutes later, his son suffered an allergic reaction, prompting Iannazzo to call 911. The video then shows Iannazzo throwing the drink over the counter at the employees and again swearing at them multiple times. The video was first posted on TikTok by a 17-year-old employee, @cjjbreezy, and it has more than 15 million views. WHO WE AREThe news you want unfiltered.The Electronic Urban Report/EUR puts the most buzz worthy African American news at your fingertips. His son has a life-threatening peanut butter allergy., Riccio, a Bridgeport-based attorney, added, Upon drinking the Robeks smoothie, his son had a severe allergic reaction which required transport via ambulance to the hospital. We immediately investigated and have taken action. He graduated from UConn in 1995, according to his LinkedIn. "I want to speak to the f---ing person who made this drink," he yelled. Powered by. Iannazzo then calls her a f***** b****.. Merrill Lynch fired a financial advisor in Connecticut after he was arrested for hurling a drink at a smoothie-store worker in an expletive-laden rant that was captured by a viral TikTok video. He also made statements regarding one of the workers immigration status, leading to the hate crime charge, police said. In a follow up video, one of the employees said they are OK and revealed Iannazzo was arrested. James Iannazzo. My son lost the capacity to breathe properly; his lips and face swelled up, and he required an EpiPen shot, but it did not offer him relief, Iannazzo told WTNH. Social media sites widely shared the video, with some people condemning Iannazzo's actions and applauding his termination. She has worked for legendary film producer Roger Corman, Quentin Tarantino's production team at Miramax, the late Larry Flynt, MTV/ VH1, Hallmark Channel, Paramount, Jim Henson Co., Parade Magazine, and various LA-based companies representing above-the-line talent. ", "I had returned to Robek's to determine what ingredients were in the smoothie that I had previously ordered. James Iannazzo (DOB 05/15/1973) was arrested and charged with C.G.S 53a-181ka; Intimidation Based on Bigotry or Bias in the Second Degree, C.G.S 53a-181; Breach of Peace in the Second Degree and C.G.S 53a-107 Criminal Trespass in the First Degree. Iannazzo said on LinkedIn he is married and he and his wife have three children. In an update to her original viral video, TikTok user @cjjbreezy said, whose real name is Charli Hill, I just want to address that we did call police. She said there were four teen girls working at the Robeks store when the incident happened. Iannazzo was arrested Saturday after turning himself in, and charged with "intimidation based on bigotry or bias in the second degree, second-degree breach of peace, and first-degree criminal trespass. March 10, 2022. . Iannazzo said, I was out of my mind with fear for him when I returned to Robeks, and I wish I had not done so. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. In a statement to TMZ, Iannazzo apologized for being a racist a**hole. James Iannazzo, 48, had been registered with Merrill Lynch . We've received your submission. Got a confidential news tip? My son lost the capacity to breathe properly; his lips and face swelled up, and he required an EpiPen shot, but it did not offer him relief, Iannazzo told, . Never miss a story. Ned Gerard / Hearst Connecticut Media file photo Show More Show Less 2 of 3 James Iannazzo It would have made stuff for us worse. Hills friend and co-worker, 17-year-old Gianna Miranda, who was hit by the smoothie, said in the video, I feel like if I would have thrown something back or spit in his face or did something just as he did, I feel like it would have just changed the whole thing. But now its not the same anymore. I feel terrible that I lost my composure so completely., His attorney, Frank J. Riccio, also stressed the dad acted out of anger and fear after his parental instinct kicked in.. In a viral TikTok video of the incident, he can be heard referring to anemployee as an immigrant loser., When employees could not provide Iannazzo with the answer he became irate, yelling at the employees using a number of expletives, police said. With the rise of remote working options, some employees have found themselves living double lives, working two (or more) full time jobs at once. Others want to responsibly transfer wealth to their kids. It was kind of scary, Im not gonna lie, she told WFSB. Iannazzo was told to leave multiple times by the employees but remained inside and continued to yell insults at the employees. His emotions then took over, Riccio said as his client stood beside him crying. I feel terrible that I lost my composure so completely., Iannazzo continued, I was out of my mind with fear for him when I returned to Robeks, and I wish I had not done so. This individual is no longer employed at our firm. News, Vision & Voice for the Advisory Community. He threw up again," Iannazzo said. My wife gave him another EpiPen while I called 911 again. I had advised them of his nut allergy when I ordered his drink, he said of his 17-year-old son who collapsed at home. According to James Iannazzo, his 17-year-old son had a reaction to a smoothie that was made at Robeks because it had peanuts in it, and his son has a peanut allergy. Statement regarding James Iannazzo: pic.twitter.com/VvOKkD96FM, Frank J. Riccio II (@RiccioLaw) January 23, 2022. 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He wrote on his profile, Since joining Merrill Lynch Wealth Management in 1995, Ive worked with a loyal and growing number of clients whose lives demand fluency in a wide range of wealth considerations., Iannazzo added he works with, Active and retired corporate executives, investment professionals, physicians, attorneys, accountants and entrepreneurs. We appreciate the swift action by law enforcement and the judicial system in pursuing criminal charges for this unacceptable behavior.. It was a real shocker to everyone. One of the employees, Charli Hill, 17, toldtold WFSBthat she started to record the unhinged manbecause of the threats he was making against her and her 18-year-old co-worker Gianna Miranda. The video shows Iannazzo at the counter of the Robeks drink store in Fairfield and yelling, I want to speak to the person who made this drink. launching into a violent and racist tirade, Fired! His lawyer, Eugene Riccio, told the judge his client who had previously been ordered to stay away from the employees has already completed an anger management program. He then threw a drink at an employee, which hit their right shoulder., Following the incident, Merrill Lynch, where Iannazzo was employeed as a financial advisor, announced he is no longer employed at our firm., Our company does not tolerate behavior of this kind, the company said in a statement to NBC New York on Sunday. Thank God, he is doing okay. I understand and we are sorry on behalf of Robeks for how the smoothie was made, but it gives you absolutely no right to act out like that. Our editorial content is not influenced by any commissions we receive. He is not a racist individual and deeply regrets his statements and actions during a moment of extreme emotional stress., Bill Halldin, a spokesperson for Merrill Lynch and Bank of America, said in a statement, Our company does not tolerate behavior of this kind. Merrill. "Our company does not tolerate behavior of this kind," said Merrill Lynch spokesman Bill Halldin. The Connecticut teenage smoothie store worker who filmed the viral video of a Merrill Lynch financial advisers racist rant claimed he also threatened to kill us multiple times.. Angry racist man attacks a robeks juice employee by throwing a smoothie at her head. His son has a peanut allergy; the . "F---ing stupid, f---ing ignorant high school kids," ranted James Iannazzo, 48, on the TikTok video taken in a Robeks store in Fairfield on Saturday. Business owners may want input on an exit strategy. The chaos began when he returned home with a smoothie from the business that purportedly contained peanuts causing the allergic reaction that sent his son to the hospital, authorities said at the time. Next time try a nut-free fruit smoothie, bro. He was banging on the door he was trying to push the door. + More | PicsVideos. They do not reflect my values or my character. About 34 minutes earlier, Mr. Iannazzo had made a purchase at Robeks, according to the police, who did not say whether the smoothie had caused the allergic reaction. Public records show Iannazzo and his wife bought a $1.3 million home in the Southport section of Fairfield in 2021. Let me guess; He'll release a non-apology apology where he tearfully declares this isn't who he is and is sorry if his conduct offended anyone. Miranda added she had to, be the bigger person. Hill said, I heart everybody on TikTok for doing their thing and finding out who he was and all of his stuff. She added, thank you guys for all the concern, but said they are OK. Hill told NBC Connecticut, Its like such a shocker because we love our jobs and like, we feel super safe there. We immediately investigated and have taken action. According to police, the teen employees said Iannazzo never advised them of a peanut allergy and instead only asked that peanut butter not be used in the smoothie. Merrill Lynch fired a financial advisor in Connecticut after he was arrested for hurling a drink at a smoothie-store worker in an expletive-laden rant captured by a TikTok video. He threw up again. And this is where the story goes left. I made my regrettable comments because my 17-year-old son was taken to the hospital suffering from life threatening anaphylactic shock," Iannazzo said. James Iannazzo, the Karens husband who was arrested after he got himself caught on a viral video launching into a violent and racist tirade directed at a group of teenage employees at Robeks smoothie shop in Fairfield, Connecticut, has lost his job as a top-ranking Merrill Lynch broker all because Karens and their Ken-tlemen counterparts havent learned yet that cameras are everywhere and the Justice Sleuths on social media love nothing more than to cost a bigot their livelihood. At one point, he even attempts to enter the employee area but the female workers blocked the door and called police. 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