A disagreement over hot dogs has resulted in a fight that caused police to shut down Van Houten Avenue in Clifton on Thursday night. The altercation involved the owners of Jumbo’s Italian Ices and The Original Jumbos, both of which sell hot dogs.
The feud between the two shops has been ongoing for two years, with tensions intensifying recently after The Original Jumbos owner asked Jumbo’s Italian Ices to remove their Sabrett hot dog sign, claiming exclusivity on the name due to making hot dog carts for the Sabrett hot dog company. The situation came to a head when The Original Jumbos owner began videotaping Jumbo’s Italian Ices from the street, intending to gather evidence for a legal battle over the name Jumbo on their store.
The fight occurred between a 74-year-old man and a 70-year-old woman who own Jumbo’s Italian Ices, and the 63-year-old owner of The Original Jumbos, who is a former Clifton resident now living in Seaside Park. Despite the physical altercation, no arrests were made and no charges were filed against any of the parties involved. Instead, all parties were referred to the courts for potential complaint signing, according to Lt. Robert Anderson, the public information officer for the Clifton police department.
The ambulance squad responded to treat two individuals for minor injuries at the scene, but they both declined transportation to a hospital. Police confirmed that the fight was a result of an ongoing business dispute that had escalated from a verbal disagreement to a physical altercation. The owners of Jumbo Italian Ices were said to have come out when they saw The Original Jumbos owner recording their business, which led to the fight.
