Flashing Boardwalk Lights Turn Rockaway Upside Down

By Katie McFadden

Since at least December 27, flickering lights on the boardwalk have some wondering if Rockaway has become the next Hawkins, Indiana, and if Vecna will be sending out some of his demogorgons.

For those who have no idea what that means, it’s all a reference to popular Netflix series “Stranger Things,” which coincidentally wrapped up its series on January 1, as the boardwalk lights continue to flicker. In the show, flickering lights signal communications from the “Upside Down,” a parallel dimension, and like the music before Jaws arrives, they signify that the main bad guy, Vecna, is sending one of his horrifying monsters called demogorgons, to abduct children and kill everything in its way.

In reality, Rockaway’s flashing LED boardwalk lights in the Beach 100s and Beach 90s, are a result of something far less scary—an ongoing electrical problem. What is concerning is that it’s been ongoing for about three weeks, and it’s not the first time it’s happened. For those who have been on the boardwalk at night recently, the lights can be disorienting as everything from the light poles to the concession lights to even the Beach 94th Amphitheater lights have been blinking nonstop, giving the boardwalk a strobe light effect. Some have suggested it become a place for a dance party, while others have expressed concerns over planes mistaking the boardwalk for a runway at JFK airport.

On January 7, The Rockaway Times posted a video of the issue to our social media accounts and by January 9, Councilwoman Joann Ariola announced that PSEG would be coming on Tuesday, January 13, to examine the lights. Unfortunately, PSEG did investigate their transformers in the area and found that it’s unrelated to their units, so the issue has been referred to the NYC Department of Transportation. In the meantime, beware of the demogorgons.