Spaceplex

Spaceplex
LocationNesconset, New York, US
Opened1991
OwnerSpaceplex Amusement Centers International Ltd.
ThemeIndoor arcade with video games bumper cars, more
Operating seasonYear-round

Spaceplex[1] was an indoor amusement park and arcade opened in 1991 at 620 Middle Country Road, Nesconset, New York, United States.[2][3] Gary Tuzzalo was a co-owner and the general manager,[2] and James Manas was another principal in the parent company, Spaceplex Amusement Centers International Ltd.[4] It is the location where Katie Beers' abductor, John Esposito, claimed to have lost Beers, when in reality she was not taken from there.[5]

A 1993 article in The New York Times Magazine described it thus:

The Spaceplex is an awesome vision of a run-down-Blade-Runnerish future, unlike anything to be found anywhere else in America — yet. Entering the 30-foot-high, 45,000-square-foot rocket hangar is like going through the Gate of Heck. This is Satin's realm: a long black strobe-lighted Techno-throbbing tunnel leads to a soaring, inky dark, cathedral-like cave, its hollows filled with the echoing caterwauling din of a million boops, beeps, boinks and bong-bong-bongs; its blackness flickering with the reflections of a million flashing sensors, registering a billion acts of virtual violence. The official name is the Spaceplex Family Fun Center. It is really Long Island as the virtual future.[6]

The stock of Spaceplex Amusement Centers International Ltd. was among those of seven companies that were manipulated in a fraud scheme by a group of 58 brokers and brokerages charged by the Securities and Exchange Commission in December 1997.[7] The SEC sued 63 individuals and entities in 2000 in related proceedings.[8][9] Manas pleaded guilty and cooperated with the government's investigation.[4]

Spaceplex filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on April 16, 1996.[10]

The building that housed Spaceplex later became the site of an indoor sports arena.[11]

It is unrelated to General Dynamics' SpacePlex research facility in New Mexico, US.

References

  1. ^ Spelling as per logo in promotional video at Spaceplex Indoor Amusement Park & Arcade. Rich Morton. January 29, 2015. Archived from the original on October 28, 2020. Retrieved October 25, 2020 – via YouTube.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  2. ^ a b Ketcham, Diane (January 17, 1993). "About Long Island; A Rare Oasis of Enjoyment Suffers a Moment of Doubt". The New York Times. p. LI-13. Retrieved October 25, 2020. ...the Space Plex [sic] Amusement Park in Nesconset. ... Since it opened two years ago...
  3. ^ "FRS Facility Detail Report: Spaceplex". United States Environmental Protection Agency. Archived from the original on October 25, 2020. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
  4. ^ a b "United States v. John Fasano, Joseph Pignatiello, Defendants-Appellants: Docket No. 00-1006". United States Court of Appeals, Second Circuit. November 27, 2001. Archived from the original on October 25, 2020. Retrieved October 25, 2020 – via CaseLaw. At trial the government sought to prove that defendants Fasano and Pignatiello engaged in a scheme to manipulate the stock of a publicly traded company called Spaceplex International Amusement Centers, Ltd. (Spaceplex). Its principal was James Manas,a named defendant, who entered a guilty plea according to a cooperation agreement with the government.
  5. ^ McQuiston, John T. (January 14, 1993). "Girl, Missing for 16 Days, Is Found in Secret Room". The New York Times. p. A1.
  6. ^ Rosenbaum, Ron (August 22, 1993). "The Devil in Long Island". The New York Times Magazine. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
  7. ^ News, Bloomberg (December 19, 1997). "Penny-Stock Fraud by 58 Is Charged". The New York Times. Bloomberg News. Retrieved October 25, 2020. {{cite news}}: |last1= has generic name (help)
  8. ^ "SEC, U.S. Attorney, and FBI Announce Major Attack Against Microcap Fraud" (Press release). New York City, New York: Securities and Exchange Commission. June 14, 2000. Archived from the original on October 25, 2020. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
  9. ^ "Initial Decision of an SEC Administrative Law Judge in the Matter of Salvatore Piazza, et al". New York City, New York: Securities and Exchange Commission. September 26, 2003. Archived from the original on October 25, 2020. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
  10. ^ "Bankruptcy News > Spaceplex-One, Inc. Files for Protection in Federal Bankruptcy Court (scroll to item 5)". Bankrupt.com. April 17, 1996. Archived from the original on January 17, 2013. Retrieved October 25, 2020. Spaceplex Amusement Centers International, Ltd. (OTC Bulletin Board: SPAC) announced today that Spaceplex-One, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary, has filed for...
  11. ^ Klosner-Wehner, Dana (October 19, 2010). "East Setauket Man Is Force Behind Damianos Realty". Patch.com. Archived from the original on January 18, 2018. Retrieved October 25, 2020.