'They care about no one.' Residents on Ocean Parkway say late-night drag races are affecting their sleep
Residents near Ocean Parkway say loud engines, screeching tires and thunderous bangs have become a nightly routine, disrupting what was once a peaceful area.
More Stories
A Midwood community is demanding action after months of illegal drag racing have left neighbors exhausted and on edge.
Residents near Ocean Parkway say loud engines, screeching tires and thunderous bangs have become a nightly routine, disrupting what was once a peaceful area.
"It’s like literally, my head starts hurting. It’s so loud," one resident said.
Inna Gayetsky, who lives just off the parkway, said she recorded racing sounds as late as 1 a.m. and again just three hours later. She now sleeps with noise-canceling headphones but says they don’t help.
“For three months, I haven’t had sleep,” she said. “Those loud sounds just disrupt you. It scares you — basically your whole nervous system is jumped up.”
Gavetsky tells News 12 she's lived on Ocean Parkway since 1995, and is used to road noise, but the latest string of racing and revving cars is too much for her to bear, leaving her considering thousands of dollars worth of bills to install sound-deadening windows.
Gayetsky says the noise is especially hard on her 85-year-old mother, who has dementia.
“She’s scared. She’s not eating or moving around,” she said. “Why should motorcycles that make this much noise be allowed on the road if they can’t drive quietly like everyone else?”
Police say they’re aware of the complaints but often arrive too late to catch the offenders.
Neighbors are calling for a stronger police presence and overnight patrols to keep Ocean Parkway from turning into what they describe as a drag strip.
“I want to see that police presence on Ocean Parkway, both sides,” said resident Grigory Pekker. “To interrupt this wild action of people doing donuts, ripping through the neighborhood, ruining my sleeping time.”
