Food News

Juliet in Somerville asks for help after its co-owner is injured in a hit-and-run

Josh Lewin was hospitalized for nearly two weeks and had three surgeries following the hit-and-run.

Juliet's co-owner, Josh Lewin, was badly injured in a hit-and-run accident while commuting home on a motorcycle. The restaurant and his friends are asking for help as he recovers. Pat Greenhouse/Globe Staff

By Katelyn Umholtz

May 20, 2025

3 minutes to read

The co-owner of Juliet in Somerville is recovering after a hit-and-run incident put him in the hospital for nearly two weeks.

Josh Lewin, who is also the culinary director at the Union Square restaurant, told Boston.com this week he was recovering at his Revere home following three surgeries. He received metal implants for a broken right wrist and clavicle, and he currently can’t see anything out of his left eye due to an open globe injury.

The hit-and-run occurred the evening Saturday, May 3, at the intersection of Cambridge and Stark Streets in Charlestown. Lewin said he was driving home on a motorcycle and through a green light at a slow speed when a car driving from the opposite lane of traffic took a left turn into him “when they should have yielded.”

Police couldn’t gather identifying details, like a license plate, because the cameras at the intersection were not working, according to Lewin.

Boston.com reached out to the Boston Police Department to confirm camera details and get more information about the accident, but didn’t hear back from the department in time for publication.

“I’ve been told to not have a lot of confidence that we’re going to get new information,” Lewin said.

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Lewin faces a lengthy and expensive road to recovery. The right side of his body could heal in a few months, but the left eye could take even longer.

His job as a restaurant owner requires him to be on his feet for long hours, and he doesn’t know yet when he’ll be well enough to return to the job.

“They say a month or two before we know anything,” Lewin said. “From the expense side, that’s one of my biggest concerns is potential future surgeries.”

What Lewin will owe from surgeries and hospital visits also is complicated by the fact that there isn’t an identified suspect to hold liable in this case.

The restaurant, co-owner Katrina Jazayeri said, might have to make some difficult decisions when it comes to employment or their budget as Boston’s hospitality industry enters one of its slowest business seasons of the year, summer.

“The day-to-day before the accident was looking at bills come in as a business and say, ‘How are we going to deal with that one?’” Jazayeri said. “And now someone else’s inattention and inhuman actions have now made that personal in a different way for Josh, and by extension, all of us [at Juliet].”

A group of motorcycle enthusiasts and friends of Lewin’s have since created a GoFundMe, hoping to raise at least $20,000 to cover Lewin’s income and medical bills.

“Joshua was incredibly reluctant to do this for himself, but if you could have seen the gratefulness and joy in his face when we took it upon ourselves to do what was needed, you would be able to tell what a relief it was to him to know that we were in his corner, and we hope that you will be, too,” the fundraising page from North Shore Motosports read.

Another way to support Lewin, according to an Instagram post from Juliet, is to go to his restaurant.

Juliet employs around 35 people, and their restaurant model is one of the few Greater Boston restaurants that has done away with the tip system and tipped minimum wage in favor of an equally-shared 20% service charge and company minimum wage of $16 an hour.

The business also advertised gift card purchases as a way to support Lewin, and Juliet will feature a returning Riviera menu next week.

“For years, we’ve chosen to run this business differently. We pay full wages. We reject the tip credit. We offer stability and growth in an industry that rarely does. It’s the right thing to do — and it’s also more expensive. Lately, that cost has felt heavier than ever,” Juliet’s Instagram post read. “We’re asking for help.”