East Hampton Blocks Tinder's Montauk Party House

The Old Montauk Highway house that was allegedly used for promotional parties during July, in a Google Maps image

Jul. 28, 2017

Joanne Pilgrim

East Hampton officials moved Wednesday to shut down a Montauk oceanfront residence used as a party spot for the app-based dating site Tinder, authorizing the town attorney to seek an injunction against using the house as hook-up central.

The property at 230 and 234 Old Montauk Highway was apparently rented by its owner, Michael Hirtenstein, a New York City entrepreneur, for $135,000 for the month of July to an executive at Tinder for company-sponsored parties.

The dating site advertised parties for members of Tinder Select, an exclusive, invitation-only area on the dating app for celebrities, models, and the like, at the property, which is along a stretch that includes residences owned by Ralph Lauren and Robert De Niro. A house formerly owned by Bernie Madoff, which was seized by the feds after Mr. Madoff was implicated and later jailed for defrauding investors in a Ponzi scheme, is nearby.

Mr. Hirtenstein sold his telecom business, Westcom Communications, for a reported $270 million in 2005, got involved in the New York real estate world, and became a partner in the EMM Group, which owns restaurants and lounges.

According to Michael Sendlenski, the East Hampton town attorney, town enforcement officers visited the property multiple times over the July 14 to 16 weekend when one of the events taking place was a party for Montauk's Whalebone magazine. They issued summonses for noise violations and the hosts' failure to obtain a mass gathering permit.

Last weekend, police were called to the property twice, and ordinance enforcement officers and a fire marshal also visited; citations for numerous other alleged violations were issued, Mr. Sendlenski said. As of Wednesday, an investigation was ongoing, with other charges possible, he said, including those related to lack of a town rental registry permit and the commercial use of a residential property.

At a special meeting called on Wednesday, the town board authorized the attorney's office to seek a court order to prevent further illegal use of the property. Mr. Sendlenski said that afternoon that he was in touch with a lawyer for Tinder Select, and that a settlement, expected by the end of the week, could prevent the need for an injunction.

Town code enforcement officers were on the property again on Wednesday, Mr. Sendlenski said, observing the dismantling of some of the party equipment at the house, such as an outdoor wigwam and clothing rack.