'Boom parties' in NJ keeping people up all night on Staten Island

Staten Island residents have grown frustrated with the ground-shaking vibrations from ‘boom parties’ but they haven't been able to do anything about them because they're not taking place in New York.

‘Boom parties’ happen when large groups of people gather near the water 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 far from the party.

In this case, the parties are happening in New Jersey.  The thumping is so loud in Elizabeth, N.J. that it is felt across the Newark Bay on Staten Island.

One homeowner in Staten Island's Bull's Head neighborhood told FOX 5 News that the vibrations are so loud from the parties that the water in their in-ground pool vibrates.  The parties can go from 11 p.m. until 6 a.m.

Get breaking news alerts in the free FOX5NY News app!  |  Sign up for FOX 5 email newsletters

"I can understand the frustration, what they're going through," Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella says.

Fossella and other Staten Island lawmakers have written a letter to the leaders of Elizabeth asking for better enforcement or a curfew.

"The problem we have is that we can't do anything about it if it is happening in New Jersey," Fossella says.

Elizabeth already has an ordinance that does not allow any noise above 50 decibels between the hours of 9 p.m. and 7 a.m.