Mysterious late-night noise plagues NJ residents on weekends, disrupts sleep
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Something is roaring in the Hudson River, and it’s leaving some NJ residents exhausted and shaken.
People in Edgewater, Fort Lee, and Cliffside Park, N.J. (all towns across the water from Harlem, New York) say they are often jolted awake late at night by mysterious music coming from Manhattan, according to local officials.
The heart-pounding sound, which can be heard between 11:30 and 5 a.m. on weekends, reportedly peaked in February when Edgewater police received hundreds of complaints, according to reports.
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“The source of the noise was determined to be coming from across the Hudson River in Harlem, New York,” the Edgewater Police Department told Fox News Digital.
“We contacted the NYPD station regarding the noise complaint. During the warmer months, we often receive some complaints when party boats pass through Edgewater on the Hudson River.”
The journey from Fort Lee, New Jersey to Harlem, New York over the George Washington Bridge is short and sound travels quickly across the water. (iStock)
Now a debate is going on on social media.
Many residents think the noise is coming from a nightclub in Harlem. Others, like the mayor of Edgewater, think party boats may be to blame.
Edgewater mayor Michael J. McPartland told Fox News Digital that Edgewater has had problems with party boats for many years.
“Normally during the summer months, boats do charters or booze cruises with loud music,” McPartland told Fox News Digital.
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He said he met with the NYPD “five, six, seven years ago” to fix the problem. “They usually welcome us,” he said.
He added that the brunt of the noise was “riverfront condos in Edgewater.”
Residents of the town of Fort Lee, New Jersey (pictured above) often choose the town for its proximity to New York City. But many prefer the quiet feel of a less crowded neighborhood. (iStock)
Parks in upper Manhattan can also be noisy, he said. “Sometimes they let people party there late into the night,” he said.
Asked if he was aware of the latest complaints, McPartland said he did not.
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Many members of the “Edgewater, NJ and Fort Lee, NJ and Cliffside Park, NJ” Facebook group remain outraged.
They believe the music comes from a restaurant and club in Harlem with an open-air lounge and cityscape views.
NJ residents living across from New York are waiting for answers. (iStock)
Other citizens are surprised by this situation. The restaurant, which some say closed two years ago.
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Some members of the Facebook group said the noise was so loud it felt like it was in their backyard.
Some called it a big vibrating sound. Others said the music was blasting all night long.
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“Sound will carry more on water than it does in the woods or on a fairway,” Bennett Brooks, president of Brooks Acoustics Corporation, a company based in Connecticut and Florida, told Fox News Digital.
“But a slight wind up or down the river will distort the sound,” he added.
“Sound will carry more over water than over a forest or grass field,” said one expert. (Kena Betancur/VIEWpress)
Brooks doesn’t believe the sound came from Harlem. According to him, the source may be local.
He said it’s harder to enforce regulations when dealing with two states instead of one.
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According to the NYC Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), the New York City Noise Code was designed to balance the city’s nightlife with the needs of its residents.
Updated in 2007, the rules focus on limiting “excessive and unreasonable” noise that could affect health and safety. Enforcement is handled by DEP and NYPD.
Some New Jersey residents believe the sound is coming from Harlem, New York. Others don’t believe this is true. (iStock)
Background noise in busy areas can make it difficult to assess violations, the guidance said.
If the noise was coming from Harlem, then “New Jersey and New York need to come to an agreement,” Brooks said. He said legal action may be required if the source is positively identified.
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Certain limitations apply to common resources such as construction, traffic, animals, air conditioners, food vendors, garbage trucks, and amplified music.
In venues where music is played, the sound cannot exceed 42 decibels inside houses, and between 22:00 and 07:00 in the evening, the ambient noise in the street must remain 7 decibels above.
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“In an urban environment, sound bounces between buildings, making it difficult to determine true direction,” Brooks said.
