OAN’s Abril Elfi
2:41 PM – Tuesday, March 19, 2024
A New York City homeowner was arrested after having a standoff with squatters that had been secretly staying in her home.
Surfacing reports stated that Adele Andaloro, 47, was arrested after she changed the locks on a $1 million home in Flushing, Queens, that she had inherited from her parents, where squatters had moved in discreetly.
“It’s enraging,” the homeowner said of the squatter fiasco. “It’s not fair that I, as the homeowner, have to go through this.”
Andaloro says the whole ordeal began when she discovered squatters inside the residence. She immediately paid locksmiths to change the front and back door locks when she began the process of trying to sell the large home last month.
After an altercation with the squatters, Andaloro was taken away by the police in handcuffs soon after.
A person can assert “squatter’s rights” in New York City even after only 30 days of residing there, due to the state’s liberal laws. Under the law, it is illegal for the homeowner to change the locks, turn off the utilities, or remove the belongings of the hijacking “tenants” from the property.
“By the time someone does their investigation, their work, and their job, it will be over 30 days, and this man will still be in my home,” Andaloro said. “I’m really fearful that these people are going to get away with stealing my home.”
Andaloro was seen entering the house during the most recent encounter when one of the squatters had left the front door open and she noticed it on camera.
A man claiming to be on the lease, identified by a local outlet as “Brian Rodriguez,” returned to the property and broke through the front door after the locks were changed.
“You shouldn’t be trying to steal my house,” Andaloro yelled at him during the caught-on-camera ordeal.
However, responding authorities told Andaloro that she had to sort out the issue in housing court since it was considered a “landlord-tenant issue.” Since Andaloro had changed the locks, she was ultimately taken into custody for “unlawful eviction.”
Andaloro maintained that in addition to her arrest, she is being pressured to initiate a court eviction in order to resolve the landlord-tenant conflict.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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