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Something is booming across the Hudson River — and it’s leaving some N.J. residents exhausted and shaken.
People in Edgewater, Fort Lee, and Cliffside Park, N.J. — all towns across the water from Harlem in New York — say they’re often jolted awake by mysterious late-night music blasting from Manhattan, according to local officials.
The heart-pounding noise — which they say can be heard between 11:30 p.m. and 5 a.m. on weekends — reportedly reached a crescendo 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 precinct regarding the noise complaint. In the warmer months, we typically get some complaints when party boats travel past Edgewater on the Hudson River.”
Now there’s a debate raging on social media.
Many residents are emphatic that the noise is coming from a nightclub in Harlem. Others, such as the Edgewater mayor, think party boats could be to blame.
Michael J. McPartland, mayor of Edgewater, told Fox News Digital that Edgewater has had problems with party boats for many years.
“Normally in the summer, boats will do charters or booze cruises with loud music,” McPartland told Fox News Digital.
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He said that “five, six, seven years ago,” he spoke to the NYPD to rectify the problem. “They usually accommodate us,” he said.
He added that “condos along the river in Edgewater” bear the brunt of the noise.
He said parks in Upper Manhattan can also get loud. “Sometimes they allow late-night parties there,” he said.
When asked if he knew about the most recent 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 are convinced the music is coming from a restaurant and club in Harlem with an outdoor lounge and a view of the skyline.
Other residents are puzzled by that. The restaurant some have pointed to 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 thumping sound that vibrates. Others said music blasts all night long.
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“Sound will carry more over water than in the woods or over a grass field,” Bennett Brooks, president of Brooks Acoustics Corporation, a company based in Connecticut and Florida, told Fox News Digital.
“However, a moderate wind up or down the river will disrupt the sound,” he added.
Brooks is not convinced the noise is coming from Harlem. In his view, the source could be local.
He said it’s harder to enforce regulations when dealing with two states instead of one.
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New York City’s Noise Code is designed to balance the city’s nightlife with the needs of residents, according to the NYC Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).
Updated in 2007, the rules focus on limiting “excessive and unreasonable” noise that could impact health and safety. Enforcement is handled by the DEP and NYPD.
The guide said background noise in busy areas can make violations harder to assess.
If the noise is coming from Harlem, then “New Jersey and New York would have to reach an agreement,” Brooks said. He said if the source can be identified conclusively, civil legal action could be necessary.
Specific limits apply to common sources like construction, traffic, animals, air conditioners, food vendors, garbage trucks and amplified music.
For venues that play music, sound cannot exceed 42 decibels inside homes, and between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. it must stay within 7 decibels above the surrounding ambient noise on the street.
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“In an urban setting, sound bounces around between buildings, making the true direction difficult to determine,” Brooks said.
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