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Late-Night 'Boom Parties' Plaguing South Jersey Waterfront Communities Along Delaware River For Over A Year

WESTVILLE, N.J. (CBS) -- Late-night music has been plaguing waterfront communities along the Delaware River for over a year. Authorities in South Jersey are calling these disturbances "boom parties" and they are trying to track the source.

People who live in Westville say it's typically quiet and peaceful with the occasional roar of the Eagles and Phillies crowd across the river, but the music that's pumping across the Delaware late at night is driving them crazy.

For more than a year, loud music has been heard on the Jersey side of the Delaware, from Pennsauken, all the way south to Pennsville.

The source of it, most people believe, is late-night gatherings of people with extra loud stereo equipment on the Philadelphia and Delaware side of the river. Authorities call them boom cars.

On Friday morning, authorities in Westville put a notice on Facebook that they are working with Philadelphia police to catch the noise violators. They say Philadelphia police are issuing summons.

People are skeptical how much it will improve the situation, but they say anything is better than what they've been suffering through.

"When it's nice out we have the windows open and many a time at night I can hear it come right across the river into the bedroom right there and it keeps me awake," Marianne Eimer said.

"And you can hear that noise across this river extremely well," added Ed Eimer. "It's like a megaphone. The river is like a megaphone -- it just sends it right over here."

So far, CBS3 has not been able to get a figure from Philadelphia police on how many summons they've issued, but parking lot owners along the river have been told to lock their properties up.

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