What to Know
- New Jersey communities along the Delaware River immediately across from Philadelphia have been dealing with mysterious overnight loud music
- The noise is originating from motor vehicles blasting music as well as drag races throughout the city.
- Gloucester City council passed a resolution in late July calling for Philly's mayor and its police department to step up anti-noise patrols.
If you live in South Jersey, chances are you were kept up at night over the weekend by a booming and deafening noise strong enough to shake the walls of your home.
"It's loud," Mary Szewczek of Palmyra told NBC10. "We thought it was around the corner."
It turns out it came from across the Delaware River. Police said county dispatch received dozens of calls early Sunday from residents of South Jersey towns, including Cinnaminson, Gloucester City and Palmyra, complaining of a loud noise coming from Philadelphia.
"Thumping, heavy bass noise whether the windows were closed or not," Palmyra Police Chief Scott Pearlman said. "Houses shaking."
Last month, Gloucester City officials claimed the noise was coming from "Boom cars" parked in the Jetro Cash and Carry store on 700 Pattison Avenue in Philadelphia, next to Lincoln Financial Field. Boom cars are described as vehicles with audio systems that produce excessive sound pressure levels and noises that can be heard and felt over a long distance. They are often part of illegal drag racing events, according to officials.
"While the benefits of residing in close proximity to Philadelphia are many, each June, July and August, brings about unwanted and intrusively excessive noise from motor vehicles commonly referred to as "Boom Cars," and parking in the Jetro Cash & Carry," Gloucester city council members wrote in a resolution.
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The resolution, which passed on July 25, calls on Philadelphia police and managers of the store to take "swift and immediate action to" stop the noise and "restore the quiet and peaceful tranquility to Gloucester City."
The noise has been an issue for several years, according to Gloucester City council members.
"Multiple calls to the Philadelphia Police Department have not resolved this ongoing torment and Gloucester City residents continue to report the problem persists," they wrote.
After seeing the resolution, Philadelphia Police patrolled the stadium area last week, according to the Courier Post. Police told the paper the parking lots of Jetro Cash and Carry and the sports complex were locked up and closed. However, officers still spotted an estimated 100 cars in the stadium area around midnight.
While the officers issued citations and moved the crowd away, police fear the loud parties will continue at a different location in the city.
Palmyra residents haven't confirmed whether the noise that disturbed their sleep this past weekend came from the stadium area as well. They believe it's also originating from Philadelphia however.
"All you can hear is the bass," Palmyra Mayor Michelle Arnold said. "And it goes, 'Boom. Boom. Boom.'"
Philadelphia police are planning to meet with South Jersey law enforcement officials on Friday to figure out a solution.
