A large house in Monroe, New York, was vandalized when nearly 1,000 individuals attended a party at the location promoted as “the biggest Project X mansion pool party in the world.” However, the owner of the home, Osher Zelik, rented it out believing a small family would be staying for the weekend. According to the Times Union, it took Zelik years to restore the home, and he told News 12 the situation was a nightmare and an organized scam.
Neighbors on Sapphire Road first noticed something was off on July 11, when hundreds of cars lined both sides of the usually quiet street. The crowd kept growing, and the party kept getting louder, with music and fireworks going into the early morning. Police were called multiple times, but the party continued until about 5 a.m.
By the end, the house was littered with garbage inside and out. Cabinets were broken, windows were smashed, the septic system had backed up into the house, and a 150-year-old baby grand piano was destroyed. Cristina Kiesel, who lives across the street, told the Times Union that the neighbors sympathized with Zelik and that he had been duped, having been told a young family was renting for the weekend.
Zelik had been in the process of applying for a short-term rental permit from the town when he decided to list the home on Booking.com, Monroe Town Supervisor Maureen Richardson said. In the days before the party, a flyer circulated on social media promoting the event at an undisclosed location, with admission set at $40 for men and free for women until 5 p.m. People who RSVP’d weren’t given the address until the day of, Richardson said. The name appeared to reference “Project X,” the 2012 found-footage comedy about a house party that spirals out of control.
How the Party Came Together and What It Left Behind
Kiesel estimated at least 1,000 people showed up. At one point, she looked through the chain-link fence and counted about 200 people in the pool. The DJ who presented the party, who went by the handle cranberrythedj, posted photos and videos from the event to his Instagram.
Kiesel walked through the house afterward and recorded video of the damage, which she shared with the Times Union. She said the scene was sad to see and noted how much money Zelik had put into the renovation. Zelik has been unable to reach the person who rented the house, whose phone number is now disconnected, and had not heard back from Booking.com, according to News 12. Kiesel called it a cautionary tale for anyone doing short-term rentals and said owners have to be careful vetting renters.
Why State Police Didn’t Shut the Party Down
Monroe has local laws covering short-term rentals and noise, but the area where the mansion sits is unincorporated and has no police department of its own, so State Police responding to the scene could enforce only state law. Richardson said she was shocked that the situation did not rise to a level troopers felt justified breaking up.
A State Police spokesperson said none of the incidents troopers responded to that evening were criminal in nature and that no criminality was alleged. Troopers increased patrols in the area to deter criminal activity, the spokesperson added. The agency said it has not been contacted to open a criminal case over the damage to the house.