Council hopeful says he was egged, refutes GOP attempt to cast doubt

Updated, 2 a.m. Friday, correction as to quote from eggers; 9:30 p.m. not able to connect with “Rene.”4:13 p.m. Metsopoulos rebuttal; 3:15 p.m., comments from Republican Town Committee Chairman Pete Torrano.

NORWALK, Conn. – A Democratic candidate for the Common Council reported to police he was struck by eggs thrown from a vehicle Saturday night in East Norwalk, with an occupant in the vehicle yelling, “You’re going to lose.”

John Metsopoulos said Thursday that he was walking home from Harbor Lights on Saturday when a van pulled up alongside him and he was pelted with eggs. Republican Town Committee Chairman Pete Torrano said he had a witness who saw Metsopoulos and he was not covered in eggs, but a Station House bartender corroborated Metsopoulos’ story.

Metsopoulos called police at 2:21 p.m. Wednesday to the location where he said the incident occurred, the sidewalk in front of the East Avenue United Methodist Church at 244 East Ave.

Metsopoulos said he was walking north at around 10:45 p.m. when he noticed the vehicle drive out of a parking lot ahead him, turn right onto East Avenue. He said as the vehicle got near him, the headlights were turned off, followed by eggs being thrown at him as someone yelled from it that he wasn’t going to win.

Metsopoulos told police that he didn’t get a good look at the vehicle, but it may have been a van.

The vehicle continued south on East Avenue, he said.

“It wasn’t any of our people, I can assure you that,” Torrano said Thursday.

The officer’s report, which was classified as “harassment,” does not say Metsopoulos was campaigning at the time of the incident. It also doesn’t indicate why he waited until Wednesday to report the incident.

The parking lot the vehicle came from is adjacent to the eastbound platform for the East Norwalk Train Station.

Torrano said there “was at least one person in the Station House” when Metsopoulos came in and, “According to them he was egg free when he walked in the door.”

He declined to identify who the witness was.

“I have some serious doubts that this actually happened,” Torrano said. “I think it’s a pitiful attempt to gain sympathy and get votes and I think it’s an embarrassment to the Democratic Party.”
“I was walking home about 10:40. “A van approached, they turned off their lights, next I knew, I heard, ‘You’re going to lose,’ and I was pelted with eggs,” Metsopoulos said.

Metsopoulos was unclear what type of van it was because, “It was the last thing I expected on a Saturday evening.”

Told that Torrano had called this account into question, Metsopoulos said that the Station House bartender and a woman named Rene could corroborate his story. “She saw the eggs,” he said. “Rachel, the bartender, handed me a rag so you can check with them.”

A woman who answered the phone at the Station House said her name was Rachel McCloskey and that she was the bartender.

She didn’t see eggs on Metsopoulos but he asked her for a rag to wipe himself off, she said. The rag came back covered in yellow, she said.

She also mentioned Rene, who wasn’t there. NoN has not yet been able to contact “Rene.” She was not at the Station House Thursday evening.

“It happened and you can check my sources. I think Mr. Torrano needs to answer to himself for that accusation. I was covered with eggs. The cleaners can vouch for it, too.”

Metsopoulos is a Democratic Town Committee nominee for the Council from District C, running alongside incumbent Democrat John Kydes. He previously served as the First Selectman of Fairfield as a Republican, and before that was the state representative for the 132nd District.

Michelle Maggio, a Republican, is the other incumbent Council member in District C. The other Republican candidate is Mike Demo.

Metsopoulos said he is a bartender and a manager at Harbor Lights, and does landscaping in Redding. He said he was walking home because he lost his car in the “Great Recession.”