This year, homeowners across the country have had their lives upended by squatters who brazenly took over their homes, often leading to lengthy legal proceedings and thousands of damages.
Following a number of high-profile squatting cases this year, states like Florida, Georgia, Alabama, West Virginia, and New York have imposed restrictions on squatting, increased criminal penalties, or lengthy eviction proceedings in court. Passed laws to legally promote it.
1. Squatter charged with taking over $1 million property, homeowner arrested for changing keys
On February 29, Brian Rodriguez changed the locks at Adele Andaloro's $1 million home in Queens, New York, and then pushed her away as she tried to close the door, according to the Queens District. broke into. lawyer.
When he claimed that he was a legal tenant and that Andaloro was trying to legally evict him, police had no choice but to remove Andaloro from the premises. in new york, It is against the law to turn off utilities, change locks, or take property belonging to someone who claims to be a tenant.
Adele Andaloro's home in Flushing, Queens, was allegedly taken over by Brian Rodriguez and a group of squatter subtenants. (Google Maps)
Two months after Andaloro was handcuffed by police on his property, Rodriguez was finally arrested and pleaded not guilty to five charges.
Rodriguez, 35, is charged with second-degree robbery. fourth-degree grand theft; fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property, second-degree criminal trespass, and fourth-degree criminal mischief. He was evicted from Andaloro's home, but criminal proceedings against him are ongoing.
On May 13, 2024, Brian Rodriguez arrives at Queens Supreme Court in New York. (Barry Williams, Fox News Digital)
Squatter charged with taking property worth more than $1 million, homeowner arrested for changing keys
2. New York squatters allegedly murdered woman and stuffed her into a duffel bag
Teenage squatter couple allegedly assaulted new york mom Nadia Vitel died in March after discovering two people were living in her Manhattan apartment.
Mr. Vitel, 52 years old, found dead in duffel bag On March 14th, she was hidden under a pile of coats by her son on the 19th floor of an East 31st Street apartment. fox news digital Previously reported. Her dog was the only one at the scene.
Nadia Vitel (Nadia Vitel on Facebook)
According to prosecutors, Halley Tejada, 19, and Kensley Alston, 18, stepped on Vitel, who was still alive, and shoved her into a bag before fleeing to Pennsylvania in Vitel's Lexus SUV.
The two went shopping before they were arrested nine days later. If you use a Vitel credit card. Their purchases included clothing, food, AirPods, a PS5 and a diamond ring, District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a press release.
Tejada and Alston were charged with second-degree murder, burglary, burglary, possession of stolen property, grand larceny and concealing a corpse, according to the indictment.
Squatter who murdered woman over inherited house buys diamond ring, PS5 on interstate shopping: document
3. Wyoming real estate agent enacts anti-squatting laws after terrifying encounter
Even residents of Wyoming, the least populous state in the United States, are falling victim to squatters taking over their homes. Rona Boril, who has been selling homes in the state for 50 years, helped pass new anti-squatting laws after her own horrific confrontation.
She told FOX News Digital that the confrontation with the squatters began after she evicted a previous legal tenant from her property for nonpayment.
“I thought the property was vacant,” she recalls. “As I was about to enter the property, I heard footsteps and thought, 'What's going on?'”
Then she saw a large strange man standing at the top of the stairs.
This diagram shows the damage apparently caused by squatters on one of Ronna Boril's properties. (Rona Boril)
“He said, 'Who are you and what are you doing on this property?'” Boril recalled. “I said, 'Who are you and what are you doing on this property? I could ask you the same thing.'”
Suddenly, “men came out from every corner of the house like cockroaches,” Boril said.
Five other men showed up and told her they had a lease on the property but could not provide any documentation. Boril said he has owned the building in Casper since the '80s.
She said she intended to return to the police department in the morning, but both local police and the sheriff's department told her they could not help and that she would have to pursue the matter in civil court. .
“The next morning I came back with my big buddies. When we unlocked the door they were gone. But the place was trashed. Dirty clothes, dirt. “There was a broken mattress, needles and drug paraphernalia everywhere,” she said. “I started clearing the property. The cost was approximately between $15,000 and $18,000.”
At that point, she contacted state Sen. Jim Anderson. Both were shocked to learn that squatting is not a problem limited to coastal states like California and New York.
The Wyoming bill was approved 10-4 by the state Assembly's Joint Judiciary Committee and must now be approved on the state Senate floor. If this bill is enacted, torts involving property damage will become a crime. felony The penalty is up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
Squatters counter resistance with red state push to protect homeowners
4. Texas homeowner says he was treated like a criminal after finally evicting squatters
After finally evicting the contractor-turned-squatter from their new home, the two texas homeowner Law enforcement said it made them feel like wrongdoers throughout the two-month ordeal.
Judith Matthews, who bought a San Antonio home to accommodate her growing family, and Abram Mendez, a Navy veteran, said they felt “helpless” amid the chaos. legal system It “takes advantage of homeowners…and the working class” against “entitled” squatters, even though their safety is at risk.
Navy veteran Abram Mendez and his wife, Judith Matthews, said they plan to move to a larger home in San Antonio. But that timetable was disrupted by a long battle with contractors-turned-squatters. (Yudith Matthews)
When the couple hired a handyman to make repairs to their new home, he asked him to sit on the couch inside the house. They alerted San Antonio police after noticing that he had amassed an alarming amount of belongings inside.
When police were first called to the property on February 29, he had not been in the home for the required 30 days to be considered a squatter under Texas property law, but officers said The couple claims they made no effort to check his counteraccounts or even take a check. his ID.
After extensive legal proceedings and several confrontations, the couple evicted the squatters two months later. They said they owed about $17,000 in damages, utilities and legal fees, and the “last real dollar” in their account was gone.
Texas homeowners who finally evicted squatters say they were 'treated like criminals'
5. Florida squatter pirates build homes on abandoned boats
florida squatter Authorities working to remove boats and squatters say more people are moving into derelict boats left along the coast.
“We've actually seen a significant increase countywide,” Lt. Michael Dougherty of the Martin County Sheriff's Office told local media in January. “There have been several instances where vagrants have been squatting on top of boats and the boats have broken apart and the boats have come off and crashed into the docks.”
The Martin County Sheriff's Office says it has been dealing with derelict boats left to rot along Florida's coast for years, but officials say they are now seeing an increase in homeless people living on boats. are. The county is located along the southeast coast of Florida and includes cities such as Jupiter Island and Jensen Beach.
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“One of the by-products of having so many vessels in our waters is that some of these vessels tend to become severely dilapidated and become inoperable,” Chief Deputy John Budensiek told Fox News. told Digital. “And because the ship is no longer operational, some of these owners abandon the ship or sell the ship to someone who will not re-register the ship. We will continue to board these ships or operate them until the ships become inoperable.''Then they either sink, leak fuel if they have the capacity to carry fuel, or contain human waste. leaks, making them dangerous. The real danger to us environmentally. ”
