A landlord in Los Angeles is facing serious accusations from tenants, who say he has threatened them with violent acts, including setting their vehicles on fire and using bear spray against them.
Nela Petrusan, who manages a property in downtown Los Angeles, appeared in court on Wednesday to respond to charges of criminal harassment. Allegations include threats of violence, intimidation regarding immigration authorities, and verbal abuse directed at the residents.
Tenant Daniel Zuniga shared his experience, claiming that Petrusan damaged his property a few years ago.
“She set my car on fire and destroyed my car,” he stated, mentioning that footage captured the incident.
Another tenant, Olga Moreira, echoed similar accusations, saying her car was also set ablaze.
Petrusan has refuted the arson claims, insisting, “I’ve never set a car on fire. Show me the date, and I’ll check all the cameras.”
Zuniga added that Petrusan allegedly sprayed him with bear spray, while another tenant described how she verbally insulted him.
“Nela would shout insults at us through the door, yeah, all kinds of weird crap,” tenant Jacob commented.
There are even allegations involving Petrusan’s boyfriend, who was reportedly seen with something resembling a gun in his pocket. “I’ve never owned a gun in my life, ever,” he countered.
Moreira has voiced in a lawsuit that Petrusan threatened to shoot her boyfriend, claiming she yelled, “You fat guy, I’m going to take a gun and shoot you in the head.”
Petrusan faces both civil and criminal legal issues, with two civil suits filed in 2024 and 2025 concerning lease and occupancy disputes.
Despite claims of neglecting necessary repairs, she maintains, “There are no livability issues here. All I do is clean. They want to send me to prison for 20 years for trying to clean the apartment.”
Petrusan is set to return to court next month for her follow-up hearing.
