A homeowner in New York City's Queens borough found herself in handcuffs after she attempted to evict squatters from the property she legally and rightfully inherited.
ABC 7 captured the standoff that happened on the million-dollar property owned by Adel Andaloro. She inherited her family's home in the Flushing neighborhood in Queens, and was in the process of selling it. However, she noticed that someone illegally moved in and changed the entire front door and lock of her home – with a woman attempting to enter until the TV station cameras captured her.
Andaloro confronted the woman, who immediately walked away after unlocking the door. At this point, the property owner accompanied by her daughter, ABC 7's Dan Krauth and his team entered the home. While she found her belongings such as her furniture and curtains intact, she also found two squatters inside – one even slept in a bedroom.
She then told both men to leave the house, but they called the police on her. The first man told Krauth and his team that he moved in two days prior, but the second man refused to answer questions.
"They've called the police on me and I've called the locksmith," Andaloro remarked. "We didn't come in illegally, the door was open."
Police officers arrived shortly and started interviewing all parties involved, plus the neighbors. They also asked for documents – with Andaloro and her daughter showing law enforcement the deed to the property. As the illegal occupants did not provide documentation, police escorted them off the property.
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However, police officers warned Andaloro about changing the locks of her house. Current law in the notoriously blue Empire State makes it illegal to turn off utilities, change the locks and remove the belongings of someone who claims to be a tenant. Despite this, she called for a locksmith to do the job.
"I may end up in handcuffs today if a man shows up here and says I have illegally evicted him," Andaloro told Krauth. "I said, 'Let him take me to court as I've been told to take him to court,' because today I'm not leaving my house."
Squatters have more rights than property owners in New York
Less than 10 minutes after police departed and the locks were changed, Brian Rodriguez – one of the two who illegally occupied the property – barged through the front door with the other squatter. Rodriguez and his companion were adamant about their illegal occupancy of Andaloro's property. The two squatters then called the police once more on Andaloro, claiming illegal eviction.
Police did show up, telling the rightful property owner that Rodriguez can't be kicked out. They consider it to be a landlord-tenant issue, so it has to be handled through housing court and not with police. They also arrested Andaloro for "unlawful eviction" and changing the house's locks – violating state law.
"[They arrested me] for being in my own home," she protested. "My [property] deed is current and legal."
Krauth and his team asked Rodriguez for documentation to prove his claims that he had a lease for the property but presented none. He instead showed bills for work he claimed he had done to the house.
According to the squatter, he moved into the home in October 2023 and signed documents with a realtor. However, he did not divulge who this realtor was.
"You got to go to court and send me to court," Rodriguez told ABC 7. "[I'll leave] if she pays me my money that I put in the house. Pay me the money and I'll leave or send me to court. It's that simple." (Related: Queens squatter takes over $2M home, rents out rooms and uses legal loopholes to prevent owners from evicting him.)
But contrary to the squatter's claim, it's not as simple as going through the housing court process takes time. According to the Rent Stabilization Association of NYC, it takes an average of 20 months for an eviction case in the Big Apple to have a resolution. In contrast, squatters in the city have rights after 30 days.
Andaloro says she now has no choice but to start an eviction filing in housing court. Unfortunately, her name is the latest addition to a growing list of victims of a scheme hatched by Democrats to render lawful property owners homeless.
Watch this video that discusses the arrest of Adel Andaloro for insisting on her legal property rights against squatters.
This video is from the Recharge Freedom channel on Brighteon.com.
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SQUATTERS are being granted ownership of unoccupied homes.
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