Officials seek to counter excessive disruptions from Philadelphia
Disruptive boom-car parties in Philadelphia have long been a problem for South Jersey, and were acknowledged before the Super Bowl by Cinnaminson Police Chief Rich Calabrese.
Calabrese took to social media to note that his department is “aware of the noise, once again, coming from the Philadelphia boom parties.” He shared contacts in Philadelphia.
Cinnaminson, Maple Shade, Riverton and Palmyra – are all across the river from the 15th police district in Philadelphia.
“Calling the Philadelphia 911 system for (the boom parties) will only get you frustrated,” the chief said. “Even if the Philadelphia police do not stop the noise, there will be call logs which will help us all later when I go and pull the statistical data to use to create or enhance existing laws.”
Boom-car parties happen when large groups of people blast music from cars equipped with massive speakers. The vibrations can actually shake nearby homes and the sound is strong enough to carry across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, officials said.
State Sen. Troy Singleton issued the following statements on the issue.
“The boom-car parties have been an ongoing quality-of-life issue for communities in Burlington, Camden and Gloucester counties for years, but when these parties take place in Philadelphia, they are outside of our jurisdiction,” he explained.
“The vast majority of the time, the music is coming from across the river,” Singleton added. “To address this issue, we have met the chiefs of police in Riverton, Palmyra and Cinnaminson, and sent a letter to the Philadelphia Mayor (Jim Kenney) and council urging them to take action.”
Singleton said he’s had meetings with local and Philadelphia law enforcement and mayors to stress that boom-car parties have a negative effect on residents up and down the Delaware River.
“Knowing this is out of our jurisdiction, it was extremely helpful to have representatives from the Philadelphia (police) present for this discussion,” the senator noted. “As a result of those conversations, they discussed proper reporting procedures, closing of the Frankford boat launch – one of Philadelphia’s three public boat launches – and increasing patrols along the river.
“However, the nuisance persists, and not just in the warmer months of the summer, but all year round, all hours of the night.”
Singleton joined colleagues to introduce legislation that would allow for the impounding of boom cars, but the measure would only be applicable in New Jersey.
“We will continue to work to find a solution to this problem,” he added.
“This is extremely frustrating for everyone, but please help by calling your local non-emergency police number, along with the Philadelphia district operations room, where you think the noise is coming from,” Calabrese advised.
