Residents: Tree Lighting At Bronx Park Canceled Due To Panhandlers

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- It seems the Grinch stole Christmas in Little Italy of the Bronx.

As 1010 WINS' Darius Radzius reported, the annual outdoor Christmas tree lighting ceremony in Ciccarone Park has been scrubbed this year.

Nearby business owners, including Monica Paciullo of Tino's Delicatessen, said they're disappointed.

"It's kind of sad because it's nice to have that tradition and to have something like that in this neighborhood," said Paciullo.

The Belmont Business Improvement District, which organizes the tree lighting every year, would not return 1010 WINS' calls for comment.

But Jerome Raguso told Radzius they told him the money used for the lighting was instead used for security to combat panhandlers.

"I don't know if security really costed that much, I mean those are public records," he said.

Instead, businesses in the area organized their own tree lighting scheduled for Thursday at the Arthur Avenue Retail Market.