Tick Tock Manager Pleads Not Guilty to Attempted Murder Charge

The manager of the Tick Tock Diner pleaded not guilty Friday to charges claiming he plotted to murder his uncle, the co-owner of the Clifton landmark restaurant, NJ.com reported.

Georgios Spyropoulous, 45, of Clifton, appeared before Assignment Judge Donald Volkert on charges that he intended to hire a hit man to kill his uncle, Alexandros Sgourdos. He continues to be held on $1 million bail on conspiracy to commit murder and weapons charges.

The manager planned to to kidnap, torture, and kill his uncle for his personal monetary gain, authorities announced Wednesday.

He wanted the would-be assassin to torture his uncle for the combination to a safe and then have his uncle’s body disappear so authorities would treat it like a missing person’s case rather than a homicide. The man also was under orders to kill the victim’s wife should she be witness to the planned murder, Attorney General Jeffrey Chiesa has said.

Spyropoulos enlisted the help of a man who turned out to be a confidential informant for the state police, authorities said. A state trooper then played the role of the would-be assassin after authorities began investigating Spyropoulos. He was arrested Tuesday while seating customers at the diner at lunch.

Spyropoulos also threatened a diner employee with violence, NJ.com reported Tuesday, citing Clifton Police Department records.

He allegedly told one waitress she "would never see the light of day again," if she talked.

He also reportedly grabbed her hand and put it on his genitals, the website reported. He reportedly told another waitress that he would “spend all his money to make sure she is buried alive” if the woman told police about the incident.