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The owner of an oceanfront Malibu restaurant frequented by A-list celebrities and his son have been killed in a fiery high-speed crash after a 21-year-old suspected drunk driver rear-ended their vintage Mustang.
Andrea Bullo, 60, the owner of Moonshadows Malibu, and his 13-year-old son, Marco, were pronounced dead on the scene yesterday following the smash in Woodland Hills at around 9pm.
Lt Matthew Bielski, with the LAPD’s Valley Traffic Division, told KTLA a preliminary investigation suggested Kevin Gonzalez was traveling east on Mulholland Drive when he rear-ended their vehicle.
Both cars immediately burst into flames, authorities said, with video from the scene showing a blaze on the front of Gonzalez’s Toyota Camry, while the Mustang was engulfed in a flames.
Firefighters acted quickly to put the fire out — but it was too late to save the Bullos. Gonzalez, however, managed to escape his Toyota Camry and sustained only minor injuries.
He was filmed doing a sobriety test at the scene. Police say Gonzalez has now been arrested on two counts of murder, and is being held on a $4million bond.
Andrea Bullo, 60, the owner of Moonshadows Malibu (pictured) and his son, Marco, were pronounced dead on the scene following a fiery collision in Woodland Hills Tuesday night
The Murano, Italy native, center, opened the famed restaurant in 2001 with a couple of friends. It is now a major hang out spot for A-list celebrities
Bullo was killed in the fiery crash along with his 13-year-old son, Marco, pictured here with his mother, Ira
Friends have described Andrea Bullo as a ‘great dad’ and a family man. He is pictured here with Marco when the boy was younger
He was filmed Tuesday night getting a sobriety test at the scene. Gonzalez is now charged with two counts of murder
Two Malibu residents were killed in a fiery crash Tuesday night in Woodland Hills after a suspected drunk driver rear-ended their vintage Ford Mustang. Firefighters are pictured here springing into action following the collision
The vintage Mustang was completely destroyed from the fire, with pictures showing it a mangled wreck in the aftermath
The high-speed collision set both cars on fire, a Toyota Camry and the vintage Ford Mustang
Kim Kardashian was spotted enjoying a lunch at the restaurant with her friend, Jonathan Cheban, in 2016 amidst drama with singer Taylor Swift
Singer Britney Spears and her husband Kevin Federline were also snapped enjoying a romantic dinner at Moonshadows, with the singer carrying a Kabbalah bible in her hand
Bullo was born and raised in Murano, Italy before he immigrated to the United States.
He received certificates from the UCLA Hotel Restaurant Management Program, and in 1989 he joined Spectrum Food Line, a group of restaurateurs in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Orange County and San Diego.
Bullo opened Moonshadows Malibu with a group of friends of Italian descent in 2001, combining typical Venetian cuisine with American fare.
The restaurant has since received awards including the Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence, the Michelin Award and The Best of City Search. It is now on Yelp’s list of 100 places to dine.
Bullo had been set to travel back to Italy to visit his mother during the Thanksgiving holiday, an Italian outlet reports, and she would then join him in the United States for Christmas.
Friends told NBC Los Angeles how he will be ‘sorely missed’ and was a ‘great dad.’
‘He had great integrity,’ said fellow restaurant owner and friends Michael Cardenas. ‘He was honest to others and a family man. Just a good human being.’
They were said to be planning to take their children to Italy together.
The driver of the Toyota Camry, 21-year-old Kevin Gonzalez, was able to escape with only minor injuries
The front of the Toyota Camry was mangled after it rear-ended the vintage Mustang at a high rate of speed Tuesday
Bullo sought to combine traditional Venetian cuisine and American fare at the famed restaurant, which is set atop a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean
Bullo opened Moonshadows Malibu, an oceanfront restaurant (pictured), with a group of friends in 2001
The restaurant has received awards including the Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence, the Michelin Award and The Best of City Search. It is now on Yelp’s list of 100 places to dine
The famed restaurant has been in the news in the past for becoming a major hang out spot among A-list celebrities.
In 2006, actor Mel Gibson was arrested for drunk driving after leaving the restaurant.
TMZ reported at the time that he left the restaurant, walking past a valet attendant with his head down and hands behind his back saying ‘I’m f***** up.’
He then allegedly crossed the street to his car, pulled out, made a U-turn and proceeded to step on the gas.
Gibson was arrested a short while later for driving 87mph in a 45mph zone with a blood alcohol level of 0.12.
Kim Kardashian was also spotted enjoying a lunch at the restaurant with her friend, Jonathan Cheban, in 2016 amidst drama with singer Taylor Swift, and Britney Spears had also been snapped enjoying a romantic dinner with her husband Kevin Federline at Moonshadows, with the singer carrying a Kabbalah bible in her hand.
They unfortunately had to leave early, though, after Spears started complaining of stomach pains.
Following the news of his passing, tributes started flooding in for Andrea and Marco on Facebook
Following the news of his passing, tributes started flooding in for Andrea and Marco on Facebook.
Lisa McAteer, for example wrote that she is heartbroken by the news, noting that she had known Andrea for 40 years.
She called him an amazing ‘man, father [and] husband.’
Maribel Hernandez also posted on Thursday: ‘It is with great sadness in my heart that I inform you of the great loss of my friend Andrea Bullo and his son Marco.
‘Moonshadow will not be the same without you my friend, always so kind, cordial and funny,’ she wrote, ‘but above all with a big heart, a family man always ready to help.’
And Marjan Consari wrote that Andrea was ‘the face of Moonshadows, and he was Class all the way.’
‘He was engaging, funny, so generous and full of life!’ she wrote. ‘My deepest condolences go out to his family who’s suffered the most unimaginable loss.’
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