A Pearl River sports bar has had its liquor license summarily suspended after state investigators say it served alcohol to teenagers as young as 16, including one girl who was found unconscious and severely intoxicated on the premises. Hudson West Sports Bar, at 50 East Central Avenue, was hit with the emergency shutdown following a joint operation that uncovered dozens of underage patrons and a pattern regulators called an ongoing failure to protect minors.
The New York State Liquor Authority accused Hudson West of seven counts of failure to supervise and four counts of selling alcoholic beverages to minors, according to CBS News New York. Investigators say bartenders were observed selling alcohol directly to four minors, and the bar served hard seltzer, beer and shots of vodka to teenagers despite using a wristband system meant to separate patrons under 21 from those old enough to drink. The station reports that patrons wore red wristbands if they were under 21 and green ones if they were 21 or older, but the SLA documented red-wristband patrons drinking anyway.
During the August 7 joint operation involving the State Liquor Authority, the Department of Motor Vehicles and the Orangetown Police Department, investigators estimated between 70 and 100 patrons were inside Hudson West, with at least 60 of them under 21 and only 12 confirmed to be of legal drinking age, according to a State Liquor Authority press release. Investigators also obtained signed statements from 13 additional minors who admitted to consuming alcohol on the premises, the agency said. The bar was licensed as an 18-to-enter, 21-to-drink establishment, but the station's report notes that people got in using fake IDs or by reusing the same ID to enter.
A Hospitalization Forces Emergency Action
The scale of underage drinking uncovered on August 7 was compounded two nights later. According to the SLA, a 16-year-old girl was found unconscious and severely intoxicated at Hudson West early on August 9 and was taken to an area hospital, which per the same account was Montefiore Nyack Hospital in neighboring Nyack, as reported by Mid-Hudson News.
That hospitalization gave regulators the emergency justification they needed. Under the New York State Administrative Procedure Act, the SLA can issue a summary suspension without a prior hearing when public health, safety or welfare imperatively requires immediate action. The emergency suspension order was formally authorized on August 14 during a Full Board meeting led by SLA Chair Lily Fan alongside Commissioners Edgar De Leon and John Maya, per the agency's release.
Fan said the evidence alleged an alarming and continuing failure to protect underage patrons, and that immediate action was necessary to protect public health and safety. Hudson West could face revocation of its liquor license as the maximum penalty, though the summary suspension is not a final determination, and the bar is entitled to a hearing before any final judgment.
Criminal Charges Filed, Notices Point to Years of Complaints
Orangetown police arrested two individuals during the August 7 operation and charged them with unlawfully dealing with a child, a misdemeanor offense, releasing them on appearance tickets, according to News 12. Under New York Penal Law § 260.20, serving alcohol to someone under 21 constitutes unlawfully dealing with a child in the first degree, a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in prison and fines up to $1,000, per NYS Open Legislation records.
Official notices posted on Hudson West's entrance by state authorities alleged that teenagers had access to alcohol at the venue dating back to 2024, following repeated prior complaints received by local police, News 12 reported. Hudson West opened in January 2024 under ownership that included Oggi and Cali Echavarria along with Jimmy and Stephanie Tramutola, according to Rockland County business records. The bar's ownership did not respond to calls or emails from CBS News New York.
Local Officials Weigh In
Orangetown Town Supervisor Teresa Kenny said the incident was unwanted in the town and that establishing the pattern of behavior needed to suspend the license took time, according to CBS News New York's reporting. She added that the case should serve as a lesson for other establishments in the area. John McCarthy said it was irresponsible for the bar to serve 16-year-olds, while Emma McCarthy said people used fake IDs or reused the same ID to get in, per the same CBS News New York account.
Pearl River, where the bar sits, is a hamlet within the Town of Orangetown widely known for its dense cluster of downtown food and drink establishments, according to the Hudson Valley Post. The Hudson West case follows another recent SLA emergency suspension on July 24 involving M Lounge in the Bronx, reflecting what the agency describes as an active stance against venues linked to severe public safety incidents.
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