Prohibition 2021: NYPD busts dozens of people drinking Corona and smoking hookahs inside illegal nightclub with SIX-BOLT fortified door
- Police officers and deputy sheriffs acting on a tip raided basement at 65-25 Roosevelt Avenue in Queens early Sunday morning
- They found 75 people drinking alcohol and smoking hookah inside illegal bar operating without license behind fortified door
- Owner Marco Chacon, 41, allegedly tried to restrain deputy sheriffs and was issued desk appearance tickets for disorderly conduct and resisting arrest
- National Grid utility found that a dangerous level of carbon monoxide was being vented into the nightclub
- Sixty-three patrons are now facing civil penalties of $1,000 for illegally gathering inside of an unlicensed establishment
- Queens is one of two boroughs accounting for more than 67 per cent of all city fatalities caused by COVID last week
Authorities in New York City on Sunday raided an underground nightclub operating out of the basement of an apartment building in Queens and caught dozens of revelers drinking alcohol and smoking hookah inside the crowded speakeasy.
New York City Sheriff Joseph Fucito announced that deputies and NYPD officers busted at least 75 patrons inside the illegal bar located at 65-25 Roosevelt Avenue in Queens at around 12.30am on Sunday.
The makeshift nightclub was protected by a ‘heavily fortified’ door and had blocked exits, posing a potential safety risk in case of a fire, Fucito said.
NYPD officers and deputy sheriffs acting on a tip raided the underground speakeasy on Roosevelt Avenue early Sunday morning
Officers are seen carrying out cases of Corona brand beer from an illegal nightclub, which had been operating out of the basement of a Queens apartment building
Inside, officials found some 75 revelers drinking alcohol and smoking hookah
Officials with the National Grid utility also reported that a dangerous level of carbon monoxide was being vented into the nightclub, which could have resulted in injury or death, reported NBC New York.
As deputies made their way inside the space, they ‘were met with immediate violence and resistance to process’ at the hands of the owner, Marco Chacon, who allegedly tried to physically restrain them.
Photos taken inside the basement show men and women crowding around small tables laden with what looks like alcoholic beverages.
Video from the raid captures police officers carrying cases of Corona brand beer out of the nightclub.
Chacon, 41, was issued desk appearance tickets for obstructing governmental administration, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and organizing a nonessential mass gathering.
The makeshift bar was protected by a ‘heavily fortified’ door (pictured) and had blocked exits
Owner Marco Chacon, 41, allegedly tried to restrain deputy sheriffs and was issued desk appearance tickets for disorderly conduct and resisting arrest
The owner had no valid state liquor license to run the nightclub out of the basement
The owner was also found to lack a valid liquor license. He face additional beverage control charges and a $15,000 fine.
Sixty-three patrons are now facing civil penalties of $1,000 for illegally gathering inside of an unlicensed establishment.
Deputy sheriffs said they had been monitoring the illegal bar after receiving tips.
The raid comes as COVID rates are rising throughout New York City, especially in Queens and Brooklyn, with the two boroughs accounting for more than 67 per cent of all city fatalities caused by the virus during the seven-day period between January 15-20.
Several Queens neighborhoods are among the areas of the city with the largest percentage of COVID test-takers who tested positive over the most recent 7-day period.
Richmond Hill and South Ozone Park had the second highest test positivity rate in the city from January 16-22, at 15.78 per cent, while Flushing/Murray Hill/Queensboro Hill was fourth in the entire city at 14.19 per cent. In all, 7 Queens zip codes make up the top 10 worst zip codes for 7-day positivity rates.