Hamptons' Maidstone Gun Club under fire in lawsuit after bullets allegedly hit homes
The entrance to the Maidstone Gun Club, seen on Dec. 9. The club is closed because of a pending lawsuit from neighbors. Credit: Gordon M. Grant
The whizzing sound of a bullet sent two contractors ducking as they walked near the backyard pool of a Wainscott home in August.
“Whoa!” one exclaimed.
The bullet, which allegedly came from nearby Maidstone Gun Club in East Hampton Town, struck the Merchants Path home and missed the men by about 10 feet.
The scene, captured on surveillance video, is one of multiple examples dating back to 2004 of stray bullets from the club property hitting homes and endangering residents’ lives, according to a recent lawsuit filed in state Supreme Court in Suffolk County.
Seven residents joined the suit, which seeks to have the club shut down along with financial damages “to be determined at trial.”
On Nov. 30, one day after the lawsuit’s filing, Judge Christopher Modelewski issued a temporary restraining order that shut the facility down for now.
“This most recent incident in August, we are feet away from someone being hurt or killed,” said Bridgehampton attorney Brian Doyle, who represents the plaintiffs with attorney James Catterson of the Manhattan firm Pillsbury, Winthrop, Shaw, Pittman.
“It’s time for somebody to take some action and do something about it,” Doyle added.
The suit alleges the gun club, which operates a 200-yard rifle range, and the Town of East Hampton, which owns the 79-acre property, haven’t adequately addressed repeated calls for improved safety.
Doyle said the judge now will consider whether to force the club to remain closed during the litigation. The case returns to court Dec. 19.
The lawsuit documents at least eight incidents where a bullet either struck a home or a resident found evidence of bullets.
In 2020, a bullet hole was found in a bedroom screen of a Merchants Path home and the bullet was on the nearby windowsill, according to the lawsuit.
Three incidents were documented at separate homes since 2021.
“Bullets should not be leaving a range like that with such frequency,” Doyle said.
Walter Johnsen, the president of the club, declined to comment on the litigation.
John Jilnicki, East Hampton Town’s attorney, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.
The entrance to the Maidstone Gun Club, seen on Dec. 9. Credit: Gordon M. Grant
In September, shortly after the incident captured on video, two residents addressed the problem at a Town Board meeting.
Plaintiff Roxana Pintilie has lived since 2004 at the Merchants Path home where the video was recorded. She told the board on Sept. 20 she now goes to the club every day to “make sure that nobody’s shooting rifles.” Her home is about a mile from the range.
“I will be there every day from here on because there is no supervision,” she told the board. “Anybody can walk around and shoot whatever they want.”
East Hampton Supervisor Peter Van Scoyoc called the video “disturbing” as Pintilie spoke in September.
Doyle also told Newsday on behalf of the plaintiffs that the property doesn’t appear to be properly supervised and it’s possible members of the club are using guns “too powerful for the range.”
East Hampton Town leases the property to the club for $100 a year as part of an agreement dating back to 1982, according to the lawsuit. Its current lease expires in October 2023.
“We would pay the town the $100 a year, $1,000 a year, whatever that is for you not to sign that lease,” Pintilie also told the board.
Joe Werkmeister covers the towns of Southampton, East Hampton and Shelter Island. He is a graduate of St. Bonaventure University and previously worked as the editor of two North Fork community newspapers.
