It’s getting bad. On a recent evening I called 311 twice to file illegal fireworks complaints. One of the operators told me that our best bet of actually solving the problem is catching someone in the act of lighting fireworks, and then calling 911 with an exact location of the incident. This doesn’t seem like a reasonable expectation from people who are trying to sleep, and tracking blast-off locations is not exactly in my skill set.
After about an hour, when I realized neither of my 311 calls seemed to get passed on to the police, I called 911 directly. I waited about 25 minutes while I continued to hear fireworks and didn’t hear police cars. So I called again, this time with more of a frantic tone (it was late and I was exhausted, but I’ve had a lot of practice complaining to customer service, so I was able to manifest the drama pretty easily). I eventually heard sirens at about 1:30am. While police had arrived, people continued to light fireworks until about 2am. So I’m not sure what impact the NYPD presence actually had. Or maybe it just took them a while to pin down the exact location.
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@Vinyl_45rpm: “We live on CPW near the old New York Cancer Hospital at 106th. I’ve been awoken as late as 2:30am but most nights we hear them between as early as 8:30pm to after 1am. I guess this depends on how many fireworks they have and police presence.”
Anonymous Reader: “I live on West 101 Street and called 311 on Sunday night. The fireworks were so loud that the operator advised me to hang up and immediately call 911. I called 911 twice on Sunday night and once last night, Wednesday night. It is HORRIBLE. So loud, so consistent, so dangerous. I reported the incident to Levine in District 7 last night. This morning I heard from someone name Kyshia who said that they would be following up with the police (I think).”
Resident of Park West Village (97th – 100 Streets on Columbus Ave): “My neighbor just called me crying asking for help. She’s a senior and can’t sleep after the fireworks attacks begin in the evenings at about 8pm until after 2am. The community is in dire need of police protection. We need more police cars surveying the area. We are in desperate need. This will go on until after July 4th! We need all our community leaders to continue to figure out a solution with police, etc., so we can live in a safe community.”
“It’s been horrific! Last night the full blast lasted until after 2am. My dog has had to get anxiety medication from the vet and my blood pressure is up. I’ve filed numerous complaints with 311 and 911 to no avail. We need more police surveillance from about 8pm until about 2:30am. Please we need help. There are many seniors in the area are feeling unsafe and sick by this. We need our community leaders to be strong and help their constituents.”
This resident also sent us these images of fireworks left in the grass nearby:
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Shari Siegel: “This has been a big problem up here at Central Park West and 109th Street. I was awakened last light about 2:30am by bright lights outside my window. Thought I was dreaming! It’s been going on all month.”
Anonymous reader: “I live on Amsterdam and 89th and hear fireworks almost nightly. Lately I’ve been seeing aerial fireworks that look very close (see video). I woke up to more of these at 3am this morning. Couldn’t get them on video because I was busy trying to comfort my dog. He has not enjoyed them!”
People are losing it. Seniors are being impacted. Dogs are freaking out. One of my cats took shelter in the bathroom last night (though he actually seemed calm … I guess because he’s gotten used to it.)
The problem is impacting zip code 10025 by far the most. To see a list of complaints, click here and type the zip code into the search bar (so it reads “Fireworks 10025.”)
We recently reached out to Linda Rosenthal, Helen Rosenthal and Gale Brewer. As of now, we’ve only heard back from the office of Helen Rosenthal; a representative stated that “This is happening across the city and it’s important that folks call their complaints into 311. The NYPD has to catch someone in the act of setting (off) fireworks, which is not an easy thing to do.”
So keep calling 311. But if nothing happens, call 911.
Please also reach out to the 24th Precinct, located at 151 West 100th Street, between Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues. We’ve also reached out to them for comment and will provide an update if they get back to us. They can be reached by phone at (212) 678-1811. You can also visit the 24th Precinct website, Facebook page and Twitter feed.
What else can be done? Maybe it’s a long shot, but share this article as much as you can; maybe some of the culprits will read it. And maybe, just maybe, they’ll realize the negative impact they’ve had on their neighbors.
My message to those lighting fireworks in the middle of the night: if you’re actually adults, please act like adults.
Had some at about 10PM West End, low 70s. Drowned out TV and killed any already fragile sense of calm. And at a tone when done folks are saying “no police!” Sheesh.
Imagine 500 water balloons and buckets of water reining down. Thinking out loud.
We have extremely loud – almost cannon-like – fireworks above 110 around St. Nicholas Avenue, like others until 1.30am and beyond. Zip code here is 10026. Highly disruptive and no sleep for anyone. And at 8.05 this evening, it’s starting again.
Are you really this naive?? The police can hear all these displays (c’mon the 24th precinct is a block away from where a lot of them are being set off). They are choosing not to act as some kind of power play cuz their pride has been wounded by the protests and people calling them racist. Instead of wasting your time sharing this article or calling 311 for the zillionth time, just tell your councilman you want their budgets to be cut cause they’re clearly not doing their jobs. They might pay attention. (And btw the people lighting them are also fully aware that their neighbors don’t like it. They can hear neighbors yelling down to them to stop, to no effect.)
Well you cop-haters have certainly gotten your wish!
Lmao no one is upset with keeping order in communities nor are they explicitly against police. People are against over funding with no say in where the funds go… sort of like taxes (which go to this) I bet you love high taxes that you don’t monitor the outcome of why else would you expect that to apply to your taxes that go to law enforcement?
I’m already sleeping better at night knowing our tax-financed violence workers have decided to help prove that they are, in fact, useless grifters whose main role is to steal from the budget from our public schools.
I talked to some police officers and they said there is “nothing they can do.” They stated it was too hard to catch them in the act and apparently the bodegas and other shops in the neighborhood are selling them. I’m beyond exhausted at this point. It is happening in every corner of the city and in the outer boroughs.
it’s definitely nerve rattling and stressful. What’s incredible is that it’s so blatant and all over the city and boroughs. Firework Flashmobs! I wonder how many people will be maimed or wounded from all of this and what will get the miscreants on to something else?
Anonymous: I live in Park West Village and I, like all of you, am feeling exhausted beyond ability to be productive during the day. I called 311 yesterday to file a formal complaint and was told when asked that they hadn’t received any other complaints about the fireworks! Even though he took my complaint he told me to call 911 when the fireworks start up. I put into the report that they have been going off at 10:30, 2:30 and 4:30 the past 3 nites. This morning they also went off at 5:30am. I’m going to try closing my windows and blasting the a/c. I so resent this!
Don’t understand why this is so hard for police if they are patrolling the city and watching and listening. They can see and hear what everyone else sees and hears. Fireworks also going off in the area of West 57th and 9th Avenue late at night. Maybe move some NYPD from guarding Trump’s hotel in Columbus Circle to more active duty on behalf of the people.
I hear them too on 96th st. Between Columbus and Amsterdam.So loud.Wakes me up.
I don’t blame the police I would just let them keep going off. The same people who want to defund them and get rid of them, I’ll probably the ones who need help now. Smh
A five-billion dollar police budget and they can’t stop teens from setting off fireworks!?! Embarrassing police excuse! Give me and some of these readers here, say, oh, I dunno, $1 billion of this budget (jk) and we’ll have a solution. The police have triangulation technology to pinpoint gunshots and this can be used to pinpoint (within a few dozen feet) these fireworkS explosions. The sound will situated directly above 200-300 feet in the air, but it will give the police a great opportunity to generally pinpoint the location somewhat directly below the explosions. Map the sounds for a few hours or days and you’ll likely see a trend on where to be in the lookout the next night.
C’mon police peeps, this is getting embarrassing!
Isn’t it technically against the law to dial 911 when there is no emergency?
Agreed! I know it’s annoying, impossible to sleep through, and horrible for pets, but we aren’t in danger just from hearing fireworks. Stop calling the police for non-emergencies.
Calling 311 for anything is a useless endeavor and always has been. Calling 911 may get a response and yes – “noise” never used to be an “emergency” until nobody else wants to deal with it. All that being said, the sidewalk next to my building has become an open barbecue party several evenings a week with flames shooting up 4-5′ in the air, smoke filling my building, loud music, enormous bottles of Hennesy and champagne flowing constantly for 15-20 people and of course drugs and packages of fireworks waiting to be lit and of none of these are “enforceable offenses”. IF a patrol car arrives, and IF they actually get out of the car, they might tell them to keep the flames away from the building and to cleanup when they finish (which they don’t), then get back in their car and say … “what more can we do?” These people are all colors, all races and ethnicities (I hate that question – WHAT COLOR ARE THEY?) but they primarily come from the Projects or from New Jersey and they have no concept of personal property, no concept of respect for other people and are in total defiance of anything that used to be called “illegal.” There is no policing and the perpetrators have no respect for themselves or anyone else.
This is part of the peaceful protests, folks. Happening in cities of all sizes from coast to coast. We’ve all slept for long enough!
We’ve slept for long enough? wow, just wow.
You people have such privilege. Sorry us POC are disturbing your sleep. We’ve suffered through slavery, Jim crow, redlining, police brutality. And now a couple of nights of firecrackers and you’re calling the police? Go shove it rich people.
Now you all want the police. ??
Dante, that’s not what commenters are saying.
No one is trying to compare their sleepless nights to your POC situation. It is many people of many colors from many metropolitan area of the US that are saying they can’t sleep. Completely different!
And no it’s not ‘bored kids’. It is adults blasting from 6pm to 6am because they know the police won’t come. That’s it.
Sad thing is their ‘message of rebellion’ is annoying the entire neighborhoods. THEIR own neighbors who they don’t care about. See how these neighbors might feel diss’d and f’d over by their local ‘friends’ now? Blast all you want till midnight but then stop. Thx Dante
Oh yes, pyromaniacs matter so much more than the rest of us, that they have free license to give everyone in New York City PTSD. Past two weeks non-stop in my neighborhood in Alphabet City. Nothing is being done about it. For hours the super loud ones (M 80’s), the shooting ones that go up to the sky, in the middle of the street they shoot them. What’s going on?
M-80’s have not been produced since the 1960’s.
I have a problem with noises that sound like gunshots. Even after years of therapy, they provoke panic responses from me sometimes. Sometimes I can handle them and it only startles me a little, one time this June I had a full-fledged panic attack the likes of which I haven’t had since 2017. It would be excellent if people would stop doing illegal things that hurt everyone around them and endanger everyone due to the fact that buildings are flammable. I also have frequent migraines. There is nothing I would like more than to sleep right now, but unfortunately the random sporadic fireworks are both worsening my headache and keeping me awake.
It wouldn’t be that bad if it was just July 4. Why isn’t it just July 4? The randomness is what makes the reactions so bad, because it’s just as unexpected as an actual gunshot. Why is everyone so horrible?
I live out in the country, and I was blasted awake in the middle of the night tonight with fireworks, i cannot go back to sleep now. I am very upset. It doesn’t matter where you live anymore, this is going on.