The renter accused of throwing a massive party at a Long Island mansion earlier this week is now facing the might of Airbnb, the company who rented the 10-acre property out to the party's organizer.
The online rental company said Friday it had notified the booking guest who held the unauthorized and illegal gathering of the company's intention to pursue "legal action" for violating Airbnb's community standards and terms of service.
Suffolk County police say they responded to the five-bedroom, 5,000-square-foot home on Hawkins Lake in Brookhaven around 12:30 a.m. Monday after getting multiple 911 calls reporting a large party. They found up to 400 people present.
According to News 12, the property owner was one of the people who called 911 to report the party. The owner had rented it to a person believed to be from New Jersey via Airbnb, the website reported. The homeowner showed the police proof that he had made the gathering limit clear to the person renting the property.
The renter has been banned from the company's website, Airbnb said Friday.
On Thursday, the rental company unveiled a partial restriction on reservations over the New Year's Eve holiday to prevent such partying. Airbnb guests "without a history of positive reviews" won't be able to make a one-night reservation. The company first tested out a similar pause on rentals on Halloween.
Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said people were partying like it was 2019, ignoring the nationwide surge in COVID cases that is only expected to worsen over the next couple of weeks.
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"When I see something like this, it just outrages me. Think about the sacrifices people have made ... to see someone acting so recklessly," Bellone said. "We aren't going to let that happen here."
On Long Island, the number of hospitalizations continues to climb, jumping 212 percent in just three weeks. Officials have said social gatherings, especially those inside homes, are at least partly to blame.
Indoor gatherings of more than 10 people were recently banned in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut amid the latest coronavirus surge.
