3 Years Of Noise: 'Boom Parties' Disrupt Life In South Jersey

NEW JERSEY — One late night in 2017, Anne Smith was awakened by the shaking of her house. Her house is on the river bank in Palmyra, and her windows and floors were rattling. She soon learned it was due to loud music, and was ready to place the blame on her neighbors.

There was a new woman who had just moved into the neighborhood, and she couldn't believe the noise that was coming from her house. But it wasn't her.

"Another neighbor blamed me," she said. "We were all blaming each other. It was like an episode of the Twilight Zone."

And just like "The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street," the problem didn't come from the neighborhood. It came from Philadelphia, and it hasn't stopped for three years.

The noise comes from huge sound speakers across the river. According to Cinnaminson Police Chief Richard Calabrese, the speakers produce 175 decibels of sound that impact 100 square miles of South Jersey, including Cinnaminson, Palmyra, Delran, Pennsauken, Oaklyn, Westville, Collingswood and Gloucester City.

"Some things are just a fad, and I thought it would be over by now," said a Westville resident who wanted to be identified as Jeff Ray.

Ray organized a Facebook page for South Jersey residents to express their frustrations. The noise, which also includes drag racing, rages from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., keeping many residents awake all night. Residents have posted videos of the noise and stories about their issues in the group.

The parties, labeled "boom parties" by some, are organized get-togethers by people of other cultures.

They are taking place on undeveloped land in Philadelphia, and the noise travels from the speakers that are mounted on cars across the river and hits South Jersey neighborhoods. There may be one car, or there may be five cars, but the resulting sound is enough to impact the quality of life for South Jersey residents.

However, I-95 is blocking the noise in Philadelphia. As a result, it is undetectable across the bridge.

"It shakes people's houses," said Calabrese, who participated in a meeting with Philadelphia Police and residents in the impacted towns on Tuesday. " … Captain John Walker of the 15th District (in Philadelphia) works with us on this a lot. He's spoken with these groups, and they said they thought they were doing the right thing by pointing the speakers away from neighborhoods over there. He said he's tried to educate them, but he can't tell them where to go."

"Last night, I went out there, and they stopped the music, and I explained to them the effects of what they're doing," Walker said. "To them, it's a hobby, and it's not meant to disrupt anything. … There's not a simplistic answer to this complex problem."

Walker said Philadelphia Police have been working to stop the issue, but it's not a problem that's going to be fixed overnight. The meeting on Tuesday was a follow-up to one that was held last year.

"We learned a lot from Capt. Walker in regard to the amount of dedicated manpower and resources the Philadelphia Police have been allocating toward this issue already," Calabrese said in a message to concerned parties published online after the meeting. "Also, this problem does not just center around boom parties, but it is a major contributor to the issue."

He said the goal was to create a long-term plan that would cut down on the noise. It involves law enforcement, but it also involves other strategies, including:

• Gathering accurate intelligence of the areas from which the noise is generating from;
• Communicating all residents' complaints in real-time to the Philadelphia Police to maximize efforts;
• Seeking out grants to help financially to create noise reduction methods; and
• Listening to the public's complaints in an open forum (practicing social distancing of course).

Tuesday's meeting included representatives from the Philadelphia Police, Palmyra, Riverton, Cinnaminson, Gloucester City, and Pennsauken.

"I will say that for future meetings held, more municipalities should send a representative so that your town's individual complaints are heard," Calabrese said. "They can email me directly at RCalabrese@CinnaminsonPolice.org to be put on the list."

"The group discussed many options collectively, and we will continue these conversations until our goal is met," Calabrese said. "The important thing to remember is that your voices are being heard, and we are making progress but make no mistake that this is not an overnight process. We realize that this issue has been ongoing for some time already, but I can assure you that we are taking this very seriously. If anyone were to hear the statistical data that has been gathered, the resources and actions of the Philadelphia Police already dedicated to the problem, and the passion Capt. Walker has for solving this problem, you would be impressed like I was."

Smith was encouraged by the meeting when she spoke to Patch on Wednesday.

"We're finally going in the right direction," Smith said. "Yesterday was a huge step that towns came together, and that a Philadelphia police captain came over the bridge who was passionate about helping us. I'd like to see things continue to go in the right direction."

Ray said he thought the gathering was good, but wasn't as encouraged as Smith. He believes Philadelphia Police should be able to break up the gatherings when they find them. He wants authorities in Philadelphia and South Jersey to be accountable, and to do more to put an end to a problem that has plagued South Jersey for nearly four years.

There are different laws that apply in Philadelphia, including the inability to tow cars unless a felony has been committed. Rules concerning noise ordinances are different as well.

"There's still a (large gathering of people) during a pandemic," said Ray, who said he just wishes they could do this at a different time or in a different spot. "I was a kid once. We played loud music, we had cars, we were all kids. But why do they have to do it in the same spot every day? I think they're doing it on purpose now. … We've been on the news so many times talking about this, and in the spring, it will be four years."

The message from those trying to solve the problem is consistently the same for those who are impacted: don't take matters into your own hands, let law enforcement handle it.

"It's horrifying, it's sad and it's terrible," Walker said. "But we are determined to get it fixed for those who are closest to the problem. It's not an easy solution."