Pool Party Over In WaHI As Cops Deflate Makeshift Cooling Spot

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS, NY — The pool party looks to be over in Washington Heights.

The owner of an inflatable, beat-the-heat pool that popped up in Washington Heights was ordered Tuesday to deflate his urban oasis by the New York Police Department, according to a police spokesperson.

The pool, located on the street outside of 171 Audubon Ave., had become a popular neighborhood destination as temperatures rose near to 100 this weekend.

Police arrived at the location around noon Tuesday to inform the owner he had 24 hours to disassemble the pool, an order that came less than a day after the Wall Street Journal published an article about the summer fun the pool was bringing to the local community.

According to the Journal, the owner of the pool is Joshua Torres, who's a superintendent of a building at 171 Audubon Ave. Torres, 34, decided to set up the pool on Saturday in what would usually be a parking space in front of his building, the Journal reported.

"I wanted to do something for the community," Torres told the newspaper.

Torres told the Wall Street Journal that his operation was safe, saying that the pool came with a filtration pump that kept the water clear and that he also set up barricades to keep traffic flowing.

Additionally, Torres hadn't fielded any complaints from police officers or community officials before Tuesday, according to the Wall Street Journal.

He also told the newspaper that there been a "nonstop pool party," with the community coming out to enjoy the cool water.

A video was posted Tuesday morning to Instagram of multiple people in what appears to be Torres' pool with the caption, "Washington Heights Be Like."

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Washington Heights Be Like Video: @erickestrada_ www.UptownCollective.com
A post shared by Uptown Collective (@uptowncollectiv) on Jul 21, 2020 at 10:02am PDT

Patch asked the exact reason for the cease and desist on the pool, but the police spokesperson did not specify a cause.

However, the City of New York Department of Sanitation provides a section on its website entitled, "Sidewalk and Street Obstruction Laws."

The first sentence of the section reads: "Sidewalk areas must be kept free from any obstruction that could impede pedestrian traffic. "

The Department of Sanitation did not immediately respond to Patch's request for comment on the issue.