With summer now in full swing, City Island community members and elected officials renewed their call for a permanent harbor patrol for the area.
The Bronx is the only borough without a dedicated NYPD harbor patrol, according to John Sheridan, chairman of the Water Safety Committee of the City Island Civic Association.
Sheridan explained that the NYPD operates a summer-season Orchard Beach patrol from about noon to 8 p.m. daily, but it comes from Queens and is not specifically dedicated to the Bronx. It also cannot address late-night partying — loud music and high speeds — that is concerning to Sheridan and others. More than a nuisance, the island has seen at least two recent fatalities from accidents as the popularity of recreational boating and jet skiing soared.
The NYPD did not respond to requests to confirm the patrols currently in place.
Sheridan said this is his seventh summer lobbying for change. He is again worried about “concert-level” loud music and racing jet skis, especially after dark.
Some elected officials have supported the cause, including City Councilmember Marjorie Velázquez and state Assemblymember Michael Benedetto. Community Board 10, which covers City Island, Pelham Bay, Co-op City and Throggs Neck, has also prioritized it in their District Needs Statement.
But this summer, the status quo remains.
Benedetto told the Bronx Times that in the waters around City Island, “Any protection (from law enforcement) is arbitrary and once in a while.”
“Orchard Beach is, you know, the Bronx Riviera,” Benedetto said. “It’s one of our pride and joys. And you’re saying, ‘Come enjoy, but by the way, you’re gonna risk your life doing it.’ No, that’s wrong. We should have proper patrols in the area.”
In an email statement to the Bronx Times, Velázquez said that she has been working on the issue as well: “Splitting the current patrol seasonally between the Bronx and Queens, both of which have heavy coastal communities, isn’t ideal or safe.”
Powerless against partying boaters
Water safety became a greater concern as more people took up recreational boating during the pandemic. The U.S. Coast Guard reported that in 2020, the number of fatal recreational boating accidents shot up about 26% from the year before, to 5,265 accidents and 767 deaths.
In 2022, the Coast Guard counted 4,040 accidents and 636 deaths. While these figures were back down to near 2019 (pre-pandemic) levels, safety remains a top concern for residents who are daily witnesses to risky behavior on the water.
Charlie Evers, owner of Evers Marina in the Country Club neighborhood, told the Bronx Times he would welcome more police and Coast Guard presence in the waters.
In July 2020, two men collided on jet skis and were killed near the marina. Jet skis do not have lights and are not allowed to be operated after dark — with sometimes tragic consequences for those who do.
Evers said in a phone call with the Bronx Times that this season so far has been a little slower than the past two years. But he said he doesn’t see as much police or Coast Guard presence as he used to, and he’s still worried about late-night partying.
“There’s a lot of cases of beer going out on boats,” Evers said. “A lot of people overdo it.”
Evers said he wants to see more patrols on summer weekends, specifically from 5 p.m. Friday until midnight Sunday. “Just seeing a presence would cut (unsafe behavior) right down.”
But law enforcement seem to face an uphill battle in cracking down on rowdiness on the water. Josephine Virgintino, general manager of Minneford Marina on City Island, told the Bronx Times that the NYPD and Coast Guard “seem to feel like they’re kind of powerless.”
Virgintino said she regularly sees dozens of boats tied to each other with music blasting, people riding jet skis too fast or at night, and people taking paying guests onto boats without the training required of a licensed captain.
These issues are difficult to address because, Virgintino explained, only the Coast Guard has authority to board boats and check for licenses and other safety measures.
She said it feels there isn’t much her staff or even law enforcement can do. “There’s a lot going on on the water, and there doesn’t seem to be enough help out there.”
High priority?
Not all City Islanders are convinced that a dedicated harbor patrol is a high priority. One lifelong resident — who did not want to be named for fear of retaliation — told the Bronx Times that he “wouldn’t mind” additional patrols, but “I’d much rather have full storefronts and pride flags not ripped down.”
To this resident, issues of equity and privilege are left out of the call for more patrols: “I don’t know what the economics of a boat driving around telling people to be quiet does for people.”
It should be acknowledged, he said, that those lobbying for a harbor station are mainly wealthy, white residents who own waterfront property.
According to city-data.com, the 2019 median income on the island was $105,898 — while that of the Bronx as a whole was $41,432 — and the average estimated value of a detached house on City Island was $505,720.
The resident said those who complain “need to pick a side,” as he described some who erected fences in the water to create private beaches on their property while, at the same time, asking for more policing of the water, which is “common space.”
The focus instead, he said, should be on balancing preservation of the island’s character — knowing that “we have it pretty good out here” — while allowing more people to enjoy what City Island has to offer. “How do we become welcoming and feel safe at the same time?”
