Search warrant at Salt Lake City private club leads to two arrests and drug seizures
Authorities said the search warrant was part of an ongoing investigation into behavior at the club.
(SLCPD) An officer from the SLCPD Central Division Bike Squad blocks traffic during a search warrant August 26, 2023.
Salt Lake City Police officers executed a search warrant at an upscale Salt Lake City nightclub Saturday morning, resulting in two arrests — also including firearms, marijuana and cocaine.
New York’s Social Club at 60 W. Market Street serves as a private venue rather than a standard bar — so it can stay open later, from about 1:30 a.m. to 4:00 a.m. on Saturday mornings, and reopens from about 9 a.m. on Saturdays until 4 p.m. on Sundays. Two private groups are currently hosting invite-only events at the club, club owner Glen Ross Easthope told The Tribune.
Authorities said Saturday’s search warrant was part of an “ongoing criminal investigation” that began in June in relation to “alleged conduct” within the club. As part of this investigation, and in response to several nearby shootings, the department increased weekend patrols around the club.
The company was recently served with two eviction notices, according to court documents – and in the most recent eviction notice, a law firm representing the club’s landlord cited three of those shootings as the reason for the eviction.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) The New York Building on Market Street, on Tuesday, July 18, 2023, where the New York Social Club is open for weekend nighttime operations.
During the search on Saturday, investigators seized marijuana, cocaine, cash, more than 100 bottles of alcohol and four firearms. Two people have been jailed in the Salt Lake County Jail on suspicion of illegal possession of drugs with intent to distribute them and illegal possession of a firearm, according to a press release.
The Salt Lake City Fire Department also determined that the club had violated fire codes and declared the building unsafe. Further information about the continued existence of the association was initially not available.
Since authorities began stepping up patrols around the club on June 9, officers have arrested 15 people – and also seized cocaine, marijuana and six firearms. Authorities did not identify the two people arrested Saturday morning.
According to police on service data obtained as part of a disclosure request, from July 5, 2022 to July 5, 2023 near the club’s Market Street address, police were called 60 times — and officers generated 23 calls. The calls included 11 reported assaults, one involving a firearm and two involving police officers.
—Tribune reporter Kolbie Peterson contributed to this story.
