According to neighbors and community officials, an MRI truck parked outside 1500 Mace Avenue has been blasting its unusually loud gas engine for the past 65,000 hours.
Ana Giardullo, who lives next to the truck, said the trailer has been running non-stop since October. It is like living next to an airplane, she said and she can’t take it any more.
“They came in the middle of the night and they dug into the pavement and they put in the tailer with the MRI machine on it. When we woke up in the morning we heard the noise and we heard the noise constantly, it’s right on top of our backyard, it’s not a quarter inch away from our fence,” she said. “It’s all day long. Twenty-four hours a day.”
The truck first caught the attention of local elected officials, but now the NYC Department of Buildings is also keen to the nuisance. On Friday, June 11, the department issued a padlock order for the trailer because it is in violation of city zoning regulations. A hearing is scheduled for Friday, July 9.
“In February we went out to site to inspect the situationand found a trailer parked illegally in back of the rear of the lot, which goes against the area zoning regulations,” Ryan Fitzgibbon, spokeswoman for the Department of Building, said. “We have given them a certain amount of time to comply with (the warning). Then we’re going to do a follow up inspection and if we find them in violation we will pursue further action.”
According to Fitzgibbon, the department sent the letter to Fitore Realty LLC, which owns the property, warning them the trailer would be locked if the illegal use did not stop immediately. Calls made to the Fitore offices in the Bronx and Yonkers during the week were either not returned or the numbers were dead.
When calls were made to an MRI company called Eastchester Precision Medical, a representative said the company owned the trailer, but declined to comment further, referring all questions to management.
Giardullo said she and her family have also not received answers about what the truck is doing there. However, since the truck suddenly appeared next to her home one morning last October, she has been talking with her elected officials about getting it removed.
“It’s going to get out of there,” Councilman James Vacca said. “This is an inconsiderate neighbor who has flouting the zoning in a residential area by placing a gigantic MRI truck in the neighborhood, so people living next door get no peace of mind. The matter is due in administrative court and we’re going to bring action to padlock the facility, but in the meantime we’re exploring what other agencies can do about this matter.”
Until the truck is removed, Giardullo said she and her neighbors are practically trapped in their houses because of the noise.
“Everbody’s complaining,” she said. “They say in a couple weeks they’re going to close it down, but I’ll believe that when I see it.”
