Town To Homeowner: Pull Plug On Holiday Lights Display Or Pay For Security

OLD BRIDGE, N.J. (CBSNewYork) - A holiday light extravaganza is jammed on the lawn of a single home at 18 Central Avenue in Old Bridge.

The razzle dazzle and cheer is Tom and Kris Apruzzi's free gift to the community.

But some people bristle at the traffic, parking and noise problems they say the display brings to a usually quiet street.

"It's just starting to get ugly," Tom Apruzzi said.

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Old Bridge town officials also say the crowds put a burden on the police department, with officers on overtime guarding the area and directing traffic.

So this year the town wants the Apruzzis to shell out $2,000 a day to pay for security, or to pull the plug.

An idea was also floated that he pay for shuttle bus service to and from a parking lot to his house.

"I'm not going to pay for shuttle service. If it's a public street, if the police have to be there, they're the ones that have to police it, they're the ones who have to take care of the public safety, not me. " Apruzzi told CBS2's Dave Carlin.

Apruzzi calls it an illegal violation of his first amendment rights and is going forward with the display, like he has every holiday season for 15 years.

Apruzzi expects some of the people who come from near and far to see his spectacle will pitch in to a GoFundMe effort to raise $75,000 to keep the lights on.

In the past, the Apruzzis say they've used the light show as a fundraiser for Homes For Our Troops, a charitable group dedicated to building custom homes for severely injured veterans.

The light show happens every 30 minutes, and runs nightly from 5:30 p.m. until 10 p.m.

He expects the show will start whether he meets his fundraising goal or not as of Saturday.

"It's a good thing. And if you try to take good things away from people, people are going to react. We have a lot of people on our side right now. And like I said, if we don't have to pay money to the police, I want that money to go to the vets. And it will go to Homes For Our Troops, whatever we raise," Apruzzi said.