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Woman dies at Brooklyn party loft, neighbors say space is a haven for unlicensed parties
By
Bahar Ostadan
and
Clayton Guse
Published Apr 30, 2023
Modified Apr 30, 2023
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Bahar Ostadan
By
Bahar Ostadan
and
Clayton Guse
Published Apr 30, 2023
Modified Apr 30, 2023
Share
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A 20-year-old woman died Friday night at a Brooklyn loft space that neighbors said has become a nuisance for hosting wild, illegal parties.
Officers responded to a 911 call at 84 14th St. in Gowanus around 11:20 p.m. and found the woman unresponsive, according to an NYPD spokesperson. The woman was taken to NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital, where police said she was pronounced dead.
Police did not provide the woman’s name and said the city medical examiner is investigating her cause of death.
“On Friday night, I didn’t know what country I was in,” said Mary Ellen Fagan, 62, who’s lived her whole life in a house across the street from where the party was held. “It was like a war zone.”
Jason Farr, 44, said he and his girlfriend watched from their apartment window down the block as EMTs took the woman out on a stretcher.
“I was shell shocked, but I wasn’t surprised,” said Farr. “It was only a matter of time before something happened.”
Farr is one of a group of locals who in September 2021 filed a lawsuit against the building’s owners and groups that organize events inside the loft space.
The building's address is linked to Hamilton Eastman, a real estate holding company comprised of several entities, including the Joyland Group - a real estate investment company for both residential and commercial properties - and Joyland Management, linked to the same address.
Joyland Management manages more than 35 properties across the city, according to its website.
A voicemail left with Hamilton Eastman was not immediately returned. The owner of Joyland, LLC, the event space’s operator that’s named in the suit, could not immediately be reached for comment.
A party at the third floor loft space on March 18, 2023.
Courtesy Jason Farr
The event space, which is on the building’s third floor, is allowed to hold up to 352 people, according to the Department of Buildings. The neighbors said the parties usually draw 200 to 300 attendees.
Neighbors have complained about the parties at the space since 2020, when COVID-19 restrictions banned large indoor gatherings. A complaint to the city Department of Buildings in January 2021 alleged there were more than 100 people in the space who were “outrageously loud.”
The neighbors said cars are regularly double parked on weekend nights, with partygoers jumping into backyards in the area and urinating on the street.
But they said Friday night’s party was different from the previous ones. Farr said the crowd appeared to be young and underaged, mostly seniors in high school or young college students.
"I'm thinking about the mother of this girl," said Claudia Miale, another neighbor who lives near the venue. She and other local residents said the police do little to break up the parties, even when they become dangerously overcrowded.
"I have never seen the cops do anything about it," said Eileen, who lived on the block for 13 years and did not share her last name due to privacy concerns. She said neighbors call the NYPD every weekend, but said officers are "jovial and friendly" with the party's organizers whenever they arrive.
Additional requests to the NYPD seeking comment were not immediately returned.
Correction: This story was updated with the correct occupancy for the loft space. It is 352 people.
Tagged
crime
new york city
brooklyn
Bahar Ostadan
Bahar Ostadan covers the NYPD and public safety. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or message Bahar on Signal at 646-740-7335.
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Clayton Guse
Clayton is the editor of the Transit and Infrastructure desk. Got a tip? Email [email protected].
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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