New York City politicians are calling for changes to the law after a gang of squatters interrupted a months-long campaign of terror against neighbors by burning down a house last November.
“It used to be a very quiet area, but when this incident happened, all of a sudden people were breaking into the house,” said Min Joo, who lives two doors down from the demolished house in Brooklyn, on Thursday. He spoke at a press conference.
Residents said a cadre of squatters settled in the Dyker Heights neighborhood during the summer and quickly made a name for themselves by stealing security cameras and other items from surrounding homes and directly threatening neighbors.
Chen Chen, 46, was charged with arson and criminal mischief after the fire at 1237 67th Street last Nov. 29, and was sentenced to six months in prison after pleading guilty, according to court records. He was sentenced to months in prison.
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Loopholes that enable squatters need to be closed, local politicians say. Squatters stormed a home in Brooklyn’s Dyker Heights on November 29 last year after months of terror against neighbors. I set it on fire. (LLN New York)
According to the criminal complaint, Chen told police that the fire was caused by a candle. “I smoked a cigarette and lit a candle while I turned on the stove to boil some water and warm myself. [I] I went downstairs to take a shower. When we came back, we saw flames and smoke everywhere. ”
But New York City police told Fox News Digital that Chen “intentionally” and “recklessly” started the fire.
The New York Post reported that the inferno caused $900,000 in damage and took dozens of firefighters an hour to put out the fire.
A spokesperson for New York City Councilmember Susan Tsang’s office told Fox News Digital that the remaining squatters are still living in the home’s backyard.
It took dozens of firefighters an hour to extinguish the fire, and damage reportedly amounted to $900,000. One of the squatters, Chen Chen, was arrested on charges of arson and mischief. Neighbors said the other residents of the home moved into the backyard of the demolished property. (LLN New York)
In response to a spate of arson-like incidents, Zhuang held up a photo of a burning Brooklyn home at a news conference Thursday, calling on fed-up residents to reform squatter’s rights laws.
“There are no Hamptons houses in our neighborhood,” she told reporters in Gravesend. “We, the people, have small homes. We work hard, check by check.
“These are hard-working families paying their mortgage paycheck to paycheck. Meanwhile, squatters break into their homes during the holidays. People’s lives change forever.”
Qiang said that in recent months he has heard more and more stories of homes and businesses being taken over by squatters.
Neighbor Zhu called on politicians to clarify tenancy laws at an event Thursday.
“This is New York City, the greatest city in the world, and we have to make it better,” he said. “Why would a city or state pass a law to make life easier for these people?…We pay for everything, and those people aren’t doing anything. , we’re getting something better than us… This is completely out of control.”
Zhu said squatters at his home broke his $5,000 security camera. Another resident of the area said squatters regularly used barrels to steal water from surrounding homes.
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A Dyker Heights home before it burned down in November. Squatter Chen Chen, who was arrested on charges of arson and criminal mischief, told police that the candle flame was the beginning of hell. (Google Maps)
The incident is just one of the latest squatter nightmares plaguing New Yorkers. Last month, eight Venezuelan immigrants were taken from a Bronx home filled with guns and drugs. Many had previously been arrested at the southern border and released into the United States, and one had previously been arrested on murder charges.
Also last month, police said a Manhattan woman was murdered after surprising two squatters who had settled in her new apartment, and her family found her stuffed inside a duffel bag.
Lawmakers also called on police and courts to report and track squatting incidents so they can understand how often they occur, ABC 7 reports.
The newspaper reported that Thursday’s press conference was one of several rallies centered around the issue of squatting, some of which were held in Queens.
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At an April 4 press conference on Brooklyn’s squatting issue, City Councilwoman Susan Chuan, dressed in pink, is surrounded by residents holding up photos of Brooklyn house fires. (Courtesy of City Councilor Susan Chuan)
According to the newspaper, city council members on both sides of the aisle are pushing to close loopholes that give residents an advantage over landlords when they refuse to vacate their homes.
New York City law allows anyone who sleeps in a home or apartment for at least 30 days to claim trespassing rights, even if they trespass on the property, but it is up to state lawmakers to change that. It depends.
Rep. Jake Blumenkrantz has authored a bill that would clarify the definition of a tenant and make it easier for police to intervene to remove squatters.
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“New York has a price crisis, an immigration crisis and a cost of living crisis,” Blumenkrantz told FOX 5. “People know that they can come to New York as a safe harbor, that they can receive all kinds of free benefits. Now they are turning our laws against New Yorkers to their own benefit. I know it’s available.”
Blumenkrantz’s proposed bill would allow police to intervene if residents don’t have a rental agreement or proof they paid rent to stay in the home, he said. “All we’re trying to do is … reassure people in New York that if someone moves into your home and they don’t have the proper documentation, they can’t live there. ”
