CLIFTON — State Police foiled a murder-for-hire plot involving the manager of the famed Tick Tock Diner in Clifton, authorities announced today.

Georgios Spyropoulos, 45, the manager was trying to place a hit on his 57-year-old uncle Alexandro's Sgourdos, who manages the Manhattan Tick Tock Diner and is co-owner of both establishments, authorities said.

"He was motivated by greed," Attorney General Jeffrey Chiesa said today at a press conference. "Spyropoulos allegedly planned in great detail how he would have his uncle tortured, robbed and murdered and he enlisted two men who he thought would carry out his ruthless plot."

Spyropoulos first met with a man he believed would aid in the hit in February inside the Tick Tock Diner, according to State Police Detective Pete Laying.

He allegedly asked that man, who turned out to be a State Police informant, to help him find someone who would kill his uncle after torturing him to obtain the combination to the safe his uncle kept inside his Clifton home, Laying said.

Georgios Spyropoulos, 45, seen here, was trying to place a hit on his 57 year old uncle Alexandro's Sgourdos, who manages the Manhattan Tick Tock Diner

Spyropoulos believed the safe contained a large amount of cash, according to Chiesa and that his uncle was taking home an unfair share of the restaurants' profits.

Spyropoulos was introduced to the purported hitman during a meeting in late March at an unnamed restaurant on Route 3 in Clifton, authorities said.

He agreed to pay this hitman, who was actually a State Trooper, $20,000 to kill, rob and torture his uncle. The hitman was given two other instructions, Chiesa said: make the body disappear so police would investigate the case as a missing person's case instead of a murder.

And if his uncle's wife saw anything, the hitman should kill her as well.

Spyropoulos' next-door neighbor said he was shocked at the allegations against the Tick-Tock's manager, whom he called a "gentleman."

"He's a good working man, a good family man," said Frank Corradino, who's lived next door for about a decade. "I never saw anything strange.

"It would shock me."

Alan Darian, a good friend of the Spyropoulos family said he could not believe the news. He saw Spyropoulos only a few days ago and said the genial owner, who always had a smile and kind word for everyone at the diner, betrayed no hint that anything was amiss.

Authorities revealed today a murder-for-hire plot at the Tick Tock Diner in Clifton

“Never in my entire life would I have believed that anything could be in his brain like that,” Darian said. “If you had a daughter who wanted to date George , you would have had the utmost of confidence and would have welcomed him in to your family.”

Sgourdos was not made aware of the plot until after his nephew was arrested but police were watching both men at all times in case Spyropoulos changed his plans.

On April 2, at a final meeting, Spyropoulos gave the hitman a $3,000 down payment and an unregistered handgun. The hitman said, "as soon as I leave here, this is on," Chiesa said. He also supplied the purported hit man with photos of his uncle, schedule of his daily routine and his home address.

Spyropoulos was arrested at the diner shortly before noon on Tuesday. He was "shocked," Chiesa said, when he was placed in handcuffs.

Al Adrianos, a long-time Tick Tock customer said Spyropoulos seemed like a nice guy.

"But who knows what's going on in someone's head," Adrianos said.

Spyropoulos' home was searched and authorities discovered handguns, a shotgun and an assault-style rifle.

He is charged with conspiracy to commit murder, attempt to commit murder and weapons possession.

He was taken to Passaic County jail and held on $1 million bail.

Star-Ledger staff writers Seth Augenstein and Dan Goldberg contributed to this report.