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Hundreds of partygoers desperate for a taste of the normal New Year’s Eve were arrested overnight for attending illegal parties in violation of the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, the New York City sheriff said on Friday.
Although Times Square was a ghost town, parties went from Queens to Manhattan, including a Maspeth karaoke party that hosted more than 300 masked partygoers, said Sheriff Joseph Fucito.
At 2 am on New Year’s Day, deputies responded to the Maspeth Bar Lounge on 58th Street and saw more than 25 people enter a side emergency exit that was locked from the outside, said Fucito.
About 15 minutes later, deputies entered and found more than 300 people huddled “drinking alcohol, singing karaoke and dancing” without covering their faces, said the sheriff.
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The company owner, Man Phan, 37, along with his wife, He Bin Wang, 37, were accused of violating an executive order, violating an emergency measure and failing to protect health and safety. Phan has also been accused of running an unlicensed bottle club, storing alcohol illegally and obstructing an exit, and will face a $ 15,000 fine.
Guowei Lin, 44, the party’s DJ, also faced charges and a $ 1,000 fine, along with 35-year-old Fang Zou, Fucito said.
In Brooklyn, MPs received “numerous” 311 complaints about a large and noisy social gathering at Stars Hall in Sunset Park.
When the police arrived shortly before midnight, they found about 80 people dancing the 2020 blues and smoking hookah, said Fucito.
The party’s organizer, Al Zabidi, received two tickets for violating an emergency measure and an executive order and faces a $ 15,000 fine.
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In Manhattan, sheriff’s officers found another illegal party at around 1 am on Friday in a loft on Prince Street, said Fucito.
On the sixth floor, deputies found 145 people “dancing, drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes” without wearing masks or social distance, said Fucito.
Party organizers received a $ 1,000 fine. The promoter will have to pay $ 15,000.