Abdoul Cisse, 47, was found dead outside the Drunken Monkey Bar and Grill on Sunday. Police reports said that Cisse was trying to stop a fight when he was struck in the face. He fell backwards, hit his head on the pavement, and cracked his skull. The incident happened at 3:40 in the morning. Cisse was unresponsive and unconscious by the time help arrived at the scene.
The bar, located in Staten Island, is famous for appearing on the VH1 show Mob Wives. Angela “Big Ang” Raiola, one of the show’s stars, is related to the bar’s owner. She also said that she knew Cisse.
Abdou Cisse tried to help calm things at a bar in Staten Island. He died on the sidewalk. #DrunkenMonkey @ABC7NY pic.twitter.com/cMaOi7Vgqt
— Lucy Yang (@LucyYang7) June 9, 2014
“He was not just a customer, but a gentle giant that I loved. I personally share my heartfelt condolences to his loved ones, and we too are feeling this loss in our drunken monkey family,” Raiola said on Twitter.
I personally share my heartfelt condolences to his loved ones, and we too are feeling this loss in our drunken monkey family.
— Angela Raiola (@biggangVH1) June 8, 2014
He was not just a customer, but a gentle giant that I loved.
— Angela Raiola (@biggangVH1) June 8, 2014
The authorities are now looking for two suspects who fled the scene in a dark vehicle.
Cisse was in Brooklyn at the time of the incident, as she was filming for the fifth season of her show.
Bartender Diana Marino spent the entire morning cleaning up Cisse’s blood from the sidewalk. She said that Cisse was one of her most beloved customers. “I was upset when I realized it was him. He was a beautiful man,” she said.
Drunken Monkey Bar and Grill is regularly featured in Mob Wives. The show is about a group of women from Staten Island who have fathers or husbands imprisoned for criminal activity connected to the Mafia.
Another bartender said that he knew that Cisse was from Nigeria. He also said that the bar was not a typical place for fights, as they cater to a mature crowd. A Staten Island resident who lives near the bar said otherwise. “Sometimes you hear the people and the fights. It’s very loud,” the resident said.
Big Ang Gets Whacked At The Drunken Monkey
Image via biggangvh1 Instagram