Residents in New Jersey, Philadelphia frustrated with increasing number of 'boom parties'

Residents on both sides of the Delaware River have grown frustrated with the ground-shaking vibrations from ‘boom parties’ that locals say have become more common.

PHILADELPHIA - Residents on both sides of the Delaware River have grown frustrated with the ground-shaking vibrations from ‘boom parties’ that locals say have become more common.

‘Boom parties’ happen when large groups of people gather near the Delaware River and blast music from cars that are equipped with massive speakers. The vibrations shake nearby homes and the sound is strong enough to carry across the water to bother residents in neighboring states.

Over the past several years, locals say the boom parties primarily happened on weekends. Now, according to residents, they have become more frequent and random.

"It steadily and pretty quickly became Sunday nights and Monday nights, now it’s 9 o’clock on a Monday morning, 3 o’clock on a Tuesday afternoon, there is no rhyme or reason," Anne, a Palmyra resident, told FOX 29.

Not only are the ‘booms’ happening randomly, locals say the parties are growing larger at various locations along the river.

"Why are these being organized, why are they being allowed to be organized, and why are they allowing to get larger and larger," said Barbara Layton, who lives in the Bridesburg section of Philadelphia.

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Last week, residents in Bridesburg held a protest about the boom parties, with specific concerns about groups gathering on East Tioga Street and Delaware Avenue.

A few days later, police say two people were killed and two others were injured during a party on East Tioga Street.

"This was one of our concerns that something was going to escalate that was not going to end well," Layton said.

Philadelphia Councilmember Mark Squilla met with community leaders and law enforcement in Philadelphia and New Jersey to discuss the ongoing issue. He called the boom parties a "quality of life problem."

Squilla introduced legislation to add special cameras with sound meters that could pinpoint where the sound is coming from and take pictures to issue violations. He believes it would be a small step in a much larger effort needed to stop the booms.

"I’m not sure we’re going to legislate our way out of this," Squilla said. "Even with legislation, we still need to partner with our enforcement agencies to address it, so it needs to be a collaborative effort."

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