Owner of J2 Pizza recounts fire, plans to rebuild

Isaac Nakar, owner of J2 Pizza, told 5 Towns Central that a fire destroyed his Five Towns shop. He was in Lakewood that night and his phone had died. Around 6 or 6:30 in the morning, his wife received a call from a department at the scene, saying the entire store was gone.

Nakar said the business has been in his family for more than 25 years. His father bought the location, then called Jerusalem Famous Pizza, in 2000 from a friend who owned J2 in Flatbush. About nine years ago, after his father suffered a stroke and died, Nakar, then a pre-med college student, stepped in to run the store. He later changed the name to J2 Pizza after his brother opened a J2 in Borough Park and the family sought to build a uniform brand.

Nakar described waking up to the news as surreal, especially since the store had just undergone heavy renovations. He said he felt grateful the fire, which started around 3:30 in the morning, happened at the store rather than at his home. The fire marshal has not given a preliminary cause in the interview. Nakar said he plans to rebuild and move forward.