Cops said the illegal nightclub operated out of a basement at 90 Nagle Ave. in Inwood, nestled in an unassuming building across the street from a school and below a hair salon.
Photo by Dean Moses
The party’s over for an illegal, after-hours nightclub in a Manhattan basement that the NYPD raided over the weekend.
The location, amNewYork Metro learned, had been connected to a slew of robberies. Police made no fewer than seven arrests, cuffing the unlawful club’s alleged manager and staff on numerous criminal charges.
Cops said the illegal nightclub operated out of a basement at 90 Nagle Ave. in Inwood, nestled in an unassuming building across the street from a school and below a hair salon.
Members of the Vice Enforcement Division busted into the joint around 5:15 a.m. on March 1 to find about 80 people crammed inside, drinking the night away. The operation stemmed from numerous reported robberies in the area, which cops tied to the illegal hotspot.
A local bodega worker told amNewYork Metro that he would often hear loud music and see a large gathering at the corner. He also said that this was nothing unusual for the area, so he did not think much about the March 1 raid.
“I see a lot of pop-ups on the Citizen App because we are open late,” the worker added.
During the raid, law enforcement sources said, cops made seven arrests as several individuals, including employees at the club, attempted to push their way through the crowd and make their getaway.
Three loaded firearms were also discovered. Two guns were found behind a couch, and a third was located inside a jacket.
The club’s alleged manager, 39-year-old Rafael Reynoso, was slapped with charges of criminal possession of a weapon, operating an unlicensed bottle club, and having an unlicensed liquor storage.
Six other alleged club employees were also picked up, including bartenders and unlicensed security guards who acted as lookouts. Police identified them as Vianca Vazquez, 46, Loveli Martinez, 36, Emmanuel Eusebio, 38, Raynier Paulino, 32, and Alcantara Yeifry, 32; they were charged with operating an unlicensed bottle club.
Police hope that the club’s closing will improve the neighborhood’s quality of life and diminish the spate of robberies.
