A New York City man whose $1 million home went up in flames late last year says he can’t evict squatters who “have more rights” than the homeowner.
Zafar Iqbal, 53, said: new york post He has tried to renovate the house many times, but says he keeps coming back.
He pays $6,000 a month after paying $1.1 million for a Brooklyn property in 2017. He is now bankrupt because of his house, and she is worried about his safety.
“I go there every two or three weeks, but I don’t go near it,” Iqbal told the Post. “I don’t know if they have weapons or anything. My safety is also at a premium.”
Squatters burn down New York home, wreaking havoc on ‘hard-working families’, officials say
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)
Residents said a cadre of squatters settled in the Dyker Heights neighborhood during the summer and quickly made a name for themselves by stealing surveillance cameras and other items from surrounding homes and directly threatening neighbors.
“We hired some contractors and they started work on the house,” Iqbal told the Post. “The next thing I knew, the fire department called to say the house was completely burnt down.”
Blue state squatters warn of ‘aggressive’ laws and mandate bills: ‘People are being killed’
On November 29 of last year, squatters set fire to a house in Dyker Heights, Brooklyn, after months of terrorizing the neighborhood. Politicians are now citing the incident as another sign of the need to close loopholes that allow illegal occupation. (LLN New York)
Chen Chen (46) be charged with arson and criminal mischief after a fire at 1237 67th St. on Nov. 29 of last year. He was sentenced to six months in prison after pleading guilty, according to court records.
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. ”
It took dozens of firefighters an hour to extinguish the fire, which caused $900,000 in damage. 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)
But New York City police told Fox News Digital that Chen “intentionally” and “recklessly” set 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.
Zafar Iqbal’s Dyker Heights home in Brooklyn is pictured with people taking pictures near Brooklyn Bridge Park in New York City on October 19, 2022. (Yuki Iwamura/AFP via Getty Images)
“Someone broke in there and set my house on fire,” Iqbal said. “That’s when I learned that the people living there were squatters. Squatters have more rights than homeowners. I own the house. What more can I do?” Is that so? I need help.”
Iqbal has been waiting for his insurance claim to be filed for months since the fire, he told the Post. Once that happens, he plans to fix up the eight-bedroom, four-bathroom home that has been the source of neighborhood complaints.
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New York City, especially New York City, has been shaken by repeated incidents of illegal occupation, some of which have escalated into acts of violence and even murder. Republican state Sen. Mario Mattera pointed to Thomas Buckleman, a plumber who was severely beaten with a baseball bat by squatters when he was hired to winterize a Blue Point building on Long Island in 2021. . Buckleman had three fractures in his skull, blood was flowing to his brain, and he told local media at the time that he thought he was going to die.
Fox News’ Emma Colton and Christina Coulter contributed to this report.
