Cameo Twin Cinema XXX

I am not reading anything offensive (here or anywhere else). Aren’t there moderators on the site here to take care of that sort of thing?

I’ve read nycman’s comment 3 times (also the others for other theaters he posted the last couple of days) and what am I missing here? There is nothing sexual about the comments.

I must be honest here. I truly miss the Cameo Theatre and my trips to Newark. I had so much fun at the theatre. I was young, full of life, full of energy. At 58, I deeply yearn for those days again.

@ Sarah B. Was it just torn down recently or did they tear it down years ago?

@ I’m not sure because I’m not familiar with New Jersey at all 😕

@nycman I bet it’s hard to see your favorite theaters closed now. I’ve never been fortunate enough to go to one as I’ve lived in Maine my whole life. We did have a couple in Maine many years ago but by the time I was old enough to go to one they were all closed.

It took one bad apple to ruin it for everyone else. I also blame the Cameo for not having better security because if they had someone checking bags this incident could have been avoided. As for Michael Handy he clearly knew what went on at the Cameo and if touched all he had to do was open his big mouth and say not interested and if dude persisted leave. Now both theater’s are gone and Newark is officially dead and boring now what is one to do when bored or just wants to release? I miss the Cameo had some fun times. Hopefully Michael Handy gets what’s coming to him behind bars because in prison they don’t ask permission they take it.

Had a Wurlitzer organ installed in 1924 which appears to be its first year of operation.

Why only 12 years for such a brutal killing? Is that his picture at the top of the page? I don’t understand how the law works. Someone butchers a human being and they get anything short of life in prison…

The Treat was showing Spanish language films in the early sixties.

I passed by recently – the place is still shuttered. I also telephoned (973-621-7622) – an automated recording answered “you have reached a number that is disconnected or no longer in service”.

I am amazed that I am the first to comment about what occurred here recently. A customer, well-known to Cameo Twin “regulars”, was brutally murdered inside this theatre. From what I’ve read online (NJ Star-Ledger news reports and blogs), this was nothing short of a bloodbath.

The incident occurred on Friday, 23 July 2010 around 6:45 PM, in the “TV viewing area” (the lobby). First-hand accounts of the situation tell of a freaked-out perpetrator, butcher knife in hand, standing over a near-lifeless body, ranting “The dude touched me…y’all don’t understand, the dude touched me.” No one was able to get near the victim to assist as he lay there bleeding to death. There were “…gallons of blood everywhere.”

If that wasn’t bad enough, “20-30 cops came rushing in, guns drawn”, taking shocked theatre customers “by paddy wagon” to City Hall police station, where they detained and “grilled” them long afterward (“until 11 PM” ) hoping to extract “the truth”, using aggressive questioning techniques (going so far as to implicate and accuse witnesses of involvement)!

Many witnesses knew the 40-y-o victim, Garrick Farmer (who went by the name “Tyreke”), and it was alleged that the victim was initially the aggressor, harassing and following the perp everywhere, demanding sexual favors â€" this caused the perp to “snap.”

One witness described the 29-y-o perp, Michael Handy (a.k.a. “Michael Antonio”), as “seriously beautiful” (!), where “…everyone would go after him”. It was also reported that the victim was much larger in stature (6’-4” vs. 5’- 4”) – amazingly, that didn’t seem to stop Handy from attacking him.

Handy was being held at Essex County Jail on various murder and weapons charges.

You would think that an indoor, “controlled" environment (such as a theatre) vs. an outdoor spot (Branch Brook Park anyone?) would be the safest place in Newark. Furthermore, one would expect that an incident of this magnitude would be enough to shut down this type of place permanently.

Unbelievably, after only a very brief closure, it has reopened for business!