NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- A Staten Island bar that had declared itself an "autonomous zone" and defied the state's COVID orders before being shut down earlier this week reopened Friday night.
About 100 customers packed into Mac's Public House in the Grant City neighborhood after it reopened around 8:30 p.m., according to WABC. Cheers could be heard as the bar welcomed in patrons.
Lou Gelormino, an attorney for co-owner Danny Presti, said the bar reopened to honor the "brothers and sisters in the restaurant business." He said the owners haven't paid summonses issued to them.
Presti was arrested Tuesday and the bar shut down more than a week after the owners had declared the business an "autonomous zone" and ignored mandates to close indoor dining.
The pub is in a COVID orange zone, where indoor dining is prohibited under rules set by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
Hundreds protested the closure of the bar on Wednesday night.
Police told WNBC that no arrests were made Friday night. It's unclear how the city will respond to the latest action.
The owners of the bar haven't backed down despite a cease-and-desist order, daily fines of $1,000 and the suspension of their state liquor license.





