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Partygoers Fined For Attending Pandemic Basement Rager In Queens With High Levels Of Carbon Monoxide
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David Cruz
Published Jan 25, 2021
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NYC Sheriff's Office
By
David Cruz
Published Jan 25, 2021
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The New York City Sheriff's Office broke up a 75-person party inside a cramped basement in Queens early Sunday morning, where high levels of carbon monoxide were detected. Sixty-three partygoers face a rare $1,000 fine each for health code violations at the location, which was known to frequently hold pandemic parties, investigators said.
The bust happened shortly after midnight at 65-25 Roosevelt Avenue in Woodside, following a tip about an "unlicensed bar and nightclub" in the basement, according to New York City Sheriff Joseph Fucito.
After conducting surveillance late Saturday, deputies spotted several people entering the basement through a door near the building's residential entry door. Deputies then tried to enter the property but were rebuffed at first by patrons from coming inside.
Deputies were forced to call the FDNY to gain access to a blocked entrance that posed a fire hazard. Once inside the basement, they found several dozen partygoers and a bar where alcohol was served and stored without a valid New York State Liquor License, Fucito said. They were each fined $1,000 for violating the city's health code for their attendance at the party, in violation of social distancing restrictions intended so slow the spread of COVID-19. Another 11 guests scattered before they could be hit with fines, the Sheriff's Office said.
After the FDNY detected carbon monoxide, engineers with National Grid were brought in and confirmed the presence of high levels of the fatal, odorless gas wafting from the boiler and into the impromptu nightclub, according to Fucito. He added that the party could have resulted in "injury or fatality."
The party's alleged organizer, Marco Chacon, was among those trying to keep deputies from trying to stop the party as well, according to Fucito. Chacon was hit with a slew of charges including second-degree obstruction of governmental administration, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, and organizing a nonessential mass gathering. More alcohol beverage law charges are pending, according to Fucito.
Indoor and outdoor gatherings of 10 or more people in private locations are currently prohibited by the city and state during the pandemic.
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David Cruz
David is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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