Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Long Island Battle: Noisy Kids 1, Neighbors 0
By
Jen Chung
Published Jun 21, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Chung
Published Jun 21, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Even though the city is supposed to be noisy and bustling, the mayor reformed the noise code three years ago to make it easier for the police to crack down on complaints, as noise tends to be the city's number 1 quality-of-life complaint. But we haven't heard of any city dwellers being threatened with a fine or jail time for their noisy children - that seems to be a Long Island trend.
Bayville resident Mark Kostakis and six other neighbors complained about the 5- and 11-year-old daughters of neighbors William and Rachel Poczatek, namely the girls' backyard pool behavior which allegedly meant screaming and shrieking for hours on end. And a "village code enforcement officer" actually issued William Poczatek a notice of violation for his kids' screaming, saying it was an "unreasonable nuisance to neighbors" last month. Amusingly, the kids were lumped into an ordinance about "the shouting and crying of peddlers, hawkers and vendors." The Poczateks were issued a summons to appear in court earlier this week, facing a $250 fine and/or 15 days jail time for every day the violations continued. Enter a mini-media circus, aggrieved neighbors, aggrieved parents, and moppets demonstrating their swimming skills to local TV.
A village judge threw out the case yesterday, after the village prosecutor asked the charges be dismissed. The Poczateks are relieved and accused the Kostakises, who have no children, of being drags. But Kostakis told the Post, "I pull up to my house and it sounds like I'm pulling up to a football game. I just want to live my life. I'm a plumber. I work too hard to come home to this."
A legal battle may continue: The Kostakises were told by the village to record instances of the noisy kids, so they bought a videocamera to tape the kids. Now the Poczateks want the tapes destroyed. Not to mention that the summer has only just begun, which means days of playing in the pool!
And for your reading pleasure: The 25-page city noise code (PDF).
Tagged
children
court
crack
football
headlines
kids
long island
media
News: NYC
police
the city
The Police
this week
tv
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
NYC Council to consider earlier Legionella reporting after deadly outbreaks
A bill facing a hearing Monday would require cooling tower owners to notify city health officials when bacteria levels reach a much lower threshold.
By
Catalina Gonella
Published Oct 18, 2026 at 7:36 p.m. ET
Staten Island fire injures 2, but spares historic 'Godfather' church
Dozens of firefighters responded to the blaze, which started in a vacant warehouse. It was contained within three hours.
By
Giulia Heyward
News
Staten Island fire injures 2, but spares historic 'Godfather' church
Dozens of firefighters responded to the blaze, which started in a vacant warehouse. It was contained within three hours.
By
Giulia Heyward
Bail reform remains major issue in NY governor's race, 7 years after it became law
By
Gino Fanelli
NYPD identifies Bronx man, 26, killed in Midtown subway shooting
By
Ryan Kost
,
Elizabeth Kim
and
Phil Corso
Have you seen this Yorkie? NYPD looking for adorable pup dognapped from her Queens home
By
Ryan Kost
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .