The mysterious music — once described as a “sickening, pulsing heartbeat” that drifted across the Delaware River and prompted a local cop to cross state lines in search of the source — is back.
Several Salem County residents went to Facebook this past weekend to complain about hearing the music return on Saturday night and question its origin. Others noted that local police can’t do much about it since it’s not their jurisdiction.
Penns Grove Police Chief John Stranahan said the department received 12 phone calls about the music. Emergency dispatch then alerted Wilmington Police Department around 11:30 p.m. The music stopped close to midnight, but Stranahan said the Wilmington police didn’t inform him if there was a resolution.
“My shift ended at 12 and I was going to go over there if the music kept going,” Stranahan said. “We are not sure what happened, but the music went off shortly after. They didn’t give us any information.”
Reports of the music began back in October 2018 when residents in Carneys Point, Penns Grove, and Pennsville reported hearing the loud, bass-filled sounds echoing through their towns, often late at night.. The music continued sporadically until Stranahan drove over to Delaware and cruised around town until he traced the sounds to a skatepark near Seventh Street in Wilmington on Christmas Eve.
The police chief found a group of people with a van down by the Delaware River. The doors of the van were open and had speakers pointing to the river with the music playing. The group dispersed after they saw Stranahan.
NJ Advance Media reached out to the Wilmington Police Department for information about what actions the police took and if the people responsible for the music had been found. However, a request for comment was not immediately returned.
Chris Franklin can be reached at cfranklin@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @cfranklinnews or on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips.
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