A Riverdale resident was taken into police custody after music blasting from his home disrupted a production crew shooting a movie in the neighbourhood.

Police were called to the scene at Pape and Riverdale avenues Monday morning after receiving complaints that a man had set up speakers on a table outside the set, preventing the production from filming at that location.

Initially, the man complied with the officer’s request to turn the music down but police say turned the music back on shortly afterwards– this time even louder.

When police returned to suspect’s home, they again asked the man to turn down the music but the man allegedly refused.

At that point, the man walked back into his home with the speaker, placed it in the second floor window and started the music back up.

Officers were then granted permission to enter the man’s home where he was subsequently placed under arrest.

Sixty-year-old Nick Shcherban was charged with mischief over $5,000, criminal harassment, causing a disturbance and public mischief.

 

Yesterday, about two hours before the incident, Shcherban sent out a news release complaining about what he calls “excessive filming” in the neighbourhood.

In it, he claims that filming at the vacant historic mansion “often goes 24-hours a day for days at a time” and causes noise “not meant for a residential neighbourhood.”

While the city has been buzzing with film production this summer, 456 Pape Avenue, known as the Cranfield House, is considered a popular location.

The home was previously used as a set for the movie “It,” based on Stephen King’s 1986 novel, and the CTV show “Orphan Black.”

Currently, the site is being used to film the HBO movie “Fahrenheit 451,” which stars Michael B. Jordan and Scarborough-native YouTube star, Lilly Singh.

But Shcherban’s complaints about the popular film spot aren’t particularly new.

Back in August of 2016, Shcherban told CTV News Toronto that he was fed up with noise created by the crew filming “It.”

“My wife is so fed up and her stomach is in such knots that she left today (and) went to spend the rest of the week with her sister,” he said at the time.

Shcherban claimed the crew was filming well past hours regulated by city bylaws.

The bylaw states that if a property is used more than twice over the course of a year for production, 51 per cent of area residents must agree to the project before cameras can start rolling on the next.

In the case of Stephen King’s “It,” the production company told CTV News Toronto that it canvassed the area and collected resident signatures of permission to film despite “exceeding the City’s minimum requirements.”

Shcherban said in yesterday’s news release that the site has seen 25 different productions in the last two years, but according to the City of Toronto, the home has been the site of 11 other productions since 2015.

One neighbour told CP24 on Tuesday that the production crew has done their best to keep residents informed and respected.

“The film crews have been very disruptive in the past but this particular film crew has been incredibly respectful," the neighbor said. “They sent out notices, they knocked on doors and they asked for our approval. They are also not parking on the street. I have no complaints about this crew.”

The neighbour said that some film crews in the past have made loud noises throughout the night and have parked their vehicles up and down the street.

Others said they recognize that these disturbances are part of living in a city like Toronto.

“I agree with whoever has been complaining… it actually is a nuisance but I understand that movies need to get made and I know the economic value of it all,” another neighbour told CTV News Toronto. “So it’s a tradeoff I suppose.”

“Everyone’s got to work,” another neighbour said. “It’s better to have jobs than no jobs.”

The city councillor for the area, Paula Fletcher, said she did receive some complaints from area residents last year while the movie “It” was being filmed at the home but was under the impression that those complaints had been resolved.

In fact, she said that “well over” 50 per cent of residents in the neighbourhood had voted to allow production on the film to take place at night.

“If it was a bad location and everyone felt like that, they would not have had that 50 per cent,” she said. “Our process is set up to get consent and if something is really bad there will be well over 50 per cent of the area that says it has got to end.”

Fletcher said that it is particularly unfortunate that Monday’s incident took place as much of the film industry gathers in the city for the Toronto International Film Festival.

She said that there were 3,000 filming permits issued in 2016 and 2,000 so far in 2017, all of which were executed without an incident like the one that occurred on Monday.

“The film industry brings about 35,000 jobs into Toronto and there is often the odd filming location in neighbourhoods. Most people just put up with it because they know it is so good for the economy,” she said.

Shcherban was released Tuesday on $1,000 bail following a brief court appearance. He is due back in court on Oct. 12.l

Work on the film resumed as normal today.