A police chief's search for the source of music blasting across the Delaware River and disturbing New Jersey residents has paid off.

On Christmas Eve, the same heavy bass music that in October had plagued residents in the New Jersey towns of Penns Grove, Carneys Point and Pennsville was back.

Hundreds of calls once again flooded the Salem County, New Jersey, 911 center. Over and over again, dispatchers were forced to tell callers that there was nothing they could do.

The music wasn't coming from New Jersey, it was coming from Delaware, they told frustrated homeowners.

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All they could do was refer the calls to New Castle County Police.

"Finally, I just got in my vehicle and drove over there," said John T. Stranahan, chief of police in Penns Grove.

He wasn't going to sit still any longer while people's holiday was ruined.

Uncovering the source

Afraid he'd strike out again, Stranahan wound his way through Wilmington, letting his ears lead the way.

Every few blocks Stranahan would pull over, get out of the car and listen.

"You could clearly hear it," he said, recounting his Christmas Eve foray through the streets. "But that whole area is really industrial."

The rhythmic, thumping bass led him first to the Kalmar Nyckel Foundation, then to the Wilmington Industrial Park, he said.

He continued down Seventh Street, past the WJBR-AM transmitter to the DIY skatepark located at the confluence of the Christiana River and Brandywine Creek.

And there they were: four vehicles and a group of men.

The pièce de résistance was a big van with an immense sound system, parked near the water's edge. Its doors were open, with mammoth speakers facing out toward the Delaware River.

Unfortunately, "When I pulled up in my car, they panicked," Stranahan said. "Everyone took off."

Frantically, the chief snapped a few pictures. He also managed to record two of the vehicles' license plate numbers, a huge break in the monthslong case.

“I wasn’t going to get out and confront them, being from out of state," Stranahan said sensibly.

The park is extremely dark at night, so he didn't get a good look at the men, either.

"But I know this much," Stranahan said. "I know exactly where they are.

"That puts an end to the music ... for now."

Déjà vu, anyone?

Penns Grove, Carneys Point and Pennsville are all located directly across the Delaware River from the Port of Wilmington and Edgemoor, maps show.

It's largely an industrial area, with few houses or developments.

The late night noise complaints started rolling in last October.

“It is just so loud," the beleaguered police chief said. "It literally sounds like there’s a car outside your house.”

That's exactly how Pennsville Police Chief Allen J. Cummings described it in October.

"There's a lot of thumping," he told The News Journal. "Like bass. It's really loud."

With the help of state and New Castle County police, the New Jersey police chiefs had been able to triangulate the source of the music to a few industrial parks located along the river in Delaware.

It seemed likely that cars or SUVs with enhanced sound systems were the source of the sound, Stranahan said. In October, officers converged on Hay Road — which runs from Fox Point State Park to the Cherry Island Landfill — but found nothing.

"When we got there, they were gone," Stranahan said.

Case closed?

Stranahan harbors no ill will toward the men playing music at the Seventh Street Skate Park.

“I was just hoping to get one of them, so I could explain to them what’s going on," he said. "Because they may not know.

“There may not be an intention to disturb people on the other side of the river. They’re in a desolate area, after all."

Stranahan, who doesn't have jurisdiction in Delaware, has turned over the license plate numbers to the Wilmington Police Department in hopes that they'll track the men down and give them a talking to.

Multiple Wilmingtonians complained about the music in October. New Castle County Police confirmed receiving complaints, but the Wilmington Police Department told the News Journal that nothing had been reported in the city itself.

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Contact Jessica Bies at (302) 324-2881 or jbies@delawareonline.com. Follow her on Twitter @jessicajbies.