By Brian Zanzonico
After the late movies ended on Wednesday, March 23, a female manager doing routine checks on the cinema's four small theaters noticed a man in one theater seated two rows from the rear slumped over. Owner Henry Stampfel said the manager told him the man "looked like he was sleeping," and she shook him gently several times to wake him. When the man didn't respond, she called Malverne police. At about 11:30 p.m., the Malverne Volunteer Ambulance Corps transported the man to Franklin Hospital Medical Center in Valley Stream, where he was pronounced dead, Malverne Police Chief Glen Jacobsen said.
Nassau County police had not released the man's name as the Herald went to press. A detective said the medical examiner had yet to release an autopsy report, but added that the man had a history of heart trouble.
Stampfel said the man was a familiar face who frequented the theater. "He was a regular," said Stampfel. "He always came in by himself. Nice guy. A nice man."
Stampfel said his concern now is for the manager, who was obviously upset by her discovery. "This was quite a shock," said Stampfel, who noted the man was watching the film "Millions."
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