Late Night Drunks Drawing Concerns From Village Businesses

As Kathleen Quinn's daughters were putting together a Christmas window display at Irish Crossroads late one night last week, an intoxicated man attempted to enter the locked store and police had to be called. 

The mailbox on the brick wall outside Quinn's store on Main Street has been ripped from the wall three times and it has been filled with vomit and urine.  

On Thanksgiving at 3:25 a.m., a fight broke out between a group of people near Irish Crossroads. While attempting to punch another person, the aggressor in the fight missed his intended target and punched the glass window of Sensationally Sweet, according to police.

The glass window of the vacant business at 20 E. Main Street was also shattered when a witness was pushed through it by someone involved in the fight. That witness was taken to the hospital to be treated for lacerations to his arms, police said. No arrests have been made as the investigation continues. 

While Patchogue Village continues its revitalization, business owners are sounding the alarm that something must be done to tame the late night crowd on Main Street. 

"I'm very emotional about this because I have a serious concern here," Quinn told the Patchogue Village Board of Trustees Monday night.

"I came here five years ago very impressed with the plans for the revitalization and future of Patchogue," said Quinn, whose lease is up next year. "I can't say I'm enamored with that idea anymore. Everybody was 'Oh, it's improving, it's improving, it's improving.' It's not." 

At a Village Board meeting earlier this month, Patricia Scheiner, who works at Paradise Bridals, expressed similar concerns. 

Scheiner said that she was awoken on a recent Saturday night at 4 a.m. after glass breaking sensors went off at the front and rear of the store. The glass was not broken, but when she and her husband arrived at the scene, they found an intoxicated man lying on the ground in front of the store. A young woman was also lying on the street on Railroad Avenue, Scheiner said. 

"We have walked in on Sunday mornings to our windows and doors being vomited on, the smell of urine," she said. "It's getting worse and worse." 

Paradise is around the corner from The Emporium, the late night hotspot that has drawn large crowds since it opened in September. 

Patchogue Village Mayor Paul Pontieri told Scheiner he'd be in touch with the Fifth Precinct to discuss the issue and on Monday night, the mayor said the Village would work to find a solution. 

"The thing that I can reassure you is that we will do everything in our power to straighten this out because it doesn't bode well for any of us," he told Quinn. 

Last Friday, a blue tarp covered the broken window next door to Irish Crossroads and blood remained splattered on the ground from the fight the day before. 

Quinn told curious customers that a pushing and shoving match had gotten out of hand. 

"But it's like 'Oh, really? I thought Patchogue was getting better?' Quinn said of customers' reactions. "And you're sitting there going 'It's good, it's good' and in your heart you're going like 'I'm scared out of my mind.'" 

Let Patch save you time. Get great local stories like this delivered right to your inbox or smartphone everyday with our free newsletter. Simple, fast sign-up here.