The lives of homeowners across the country have been turned upside down this year by squatters who have brazenly taken over their homes, often resulting in lengthy legal proceedings and thousands in damages.
Florida, Georgia, AlabamaWest Virginia and New York passed laws this year restricting squatting, increasing criminal penalties or legally facilitating lengthy removal proceedings in court after a number of high-profile squatting cases.
1. A squatter has been charged after seizing a million-dollar property, leading to the homeowner being arrested for changing the locks
On February 29, Brian Rodriguez returned to Adele Andaloro's million-dollar home in Queens, New York, after she changed the locks, and forced his way into the house while she was trying to lock the door, according to the Queens borough. lawyer.
When he claimed to be a legal tenant and Andaloro was trying to legally evict him, the police had no choice but to remove Andaloro from the property; in New York, It is against the law to turn off utilities, change the locks, and remove the belongings of a person claiming to be a renter.
Adele Andaloro's home in Flushing, Queens, has allegedly been taken over by Brian Rodriguez and a group of squatters. (google maps)
She was forced to take her case to the Queens District Attorney where an investigation began – two months after Andaloro was restrained by police on her private property, Rodriguez was finally arrested, and pleaded not guilty in court. A five-count indictment.
Rodriguez, 35, faces charges of second-degree robbery. grand larceny fourth degree, Fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property, second-degree criminal trespass, and fourth-degree criminal mischief. Although he was removed from Andaloro's house, the criminal case against him continues.
Brian Rodriguez arrives at the Supreme Court in Queens, New York on May 13, 2024. (Barry Williams for Fox News Digital)
2. New York squatters allegedly killed a woman and put her in a duffel bag
A teenage couple was allegedly beaten New York native Nadia Vettel was beaten to death when she found them living in her Manhattan apartment in March.
Vettel, 52, what He was found dead in a duffel bag Hidden under a pile of coats in her 19th-floor apartment on East 31st Street by her son on March 14. Fox News Digital I mentioned previously. Her beloved dog was alone at the scene.
Nadia Vettel (Nadia Vettel on Facebook)
Haley Tejada, 19, and Kinsley Alston, 18, fled the scene toward Pennsylvania in Vettel's Lexus SUV after running over Vettel and putting her in the bag while she was still breathing, prosecutors said.
Before the duo were arrested nine days later, they went on a shopping spree With Vettel credit cards. Their purchases included clothing, food, AirPods, a PS5, and a diamond ring, District Attorney Alvin Bragg wrote in a news release.
Tejada and Alston were charged with second-degree murder, burglary, theft, criminal possession of stolen property, grand larceny and concealment of a human corpse, according to their indictments.
3. Wyoming Realtor gets anti-slum legislation moving after terrifying encounter
until Wyoming residentsthe least populated state in America, fell victim to settlers who took over their homes. Rhona Burrell, who has sold homes in the state for five decades, helped put new anti-slum legislation into effect after her terrifying encounter.
She told Fox News Digital that her run-in with squatters began after she evicted a previous legal tenant from her property for non-payment.
“I thought the property was vacant,” she recalled. “I was going to the property, and I heard footsteps, and I thought, 'What the hell is this?'
Then she saw a large, unfamiliar man at the top of the stairs.
This view shows damage apparently caused by squatters at one of Rona Burrell's properties. (Rona Burrell)
“He said, ‘Who are you and what are you doing on this property?’” Burrell recalls. “I said, ‘Who are you, and what are you doing on this property?’ I could ask you the same thing.”
Suddenly, “there were men coming out of every corner of the house like cockroaches,” Burrell said.
Five other men came and told her they had a lease for the property, but were unable to provide any papers. Burrell told them she has owned the building in Casper since the 1980s.
She said she would be back with police in the morning, but local police and the police department told her they couldn't help and that she would have to pursue the matter in civil court.
“The next morning, I came back with a senior colleague. We opened the lock and they were gone. But the place was in ruins: dirty clothes, dirty mattresses, needles and drug paraphernalia everywhere,” she said. “I started removing trash from the property. It cost me between $15,000 and $18,000.”
At that point, she called State Sen. Jim Anderson. They were both shocked to discover that the problem of land grabbing was not limited to coastal states like California and New York.
The Wyoming bill was approved 10-4 by the state Legislature's Joint Judiciary Committee, and now needs approval in the state Senate. If passed into law, the bill would make slums involving property destruction a Felony crime It is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
Squatters face resistance as red state pushes to protect homeowners
4. Texas homeowners who finally evict squatters 'treated like criminals'
After the contractor-turned-squatter is finally evicted from their new home, a pair of… Homeowners in Texas He said law enforcement made them feel like they were wrong throughout their two-month ordeal.
Judith Matthews and Navy veteran Abram Mendez, who bought a San Antonio home to accommodate their growing family, said they felt “helpless” amid Legal system Which “exploits homeowners…and the working class” at the expense of “deserving” squatters, even when 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 timeline was disrupted by their long battle with the contractor-turned-squatter. (Judith Matthews)
When the couple hired a handyman to fix up their new home, he asked to stay on a couch inside the house. When they realized he had accumulated an alarming number of possessions inside, they contacted the San Antonio Police Department.
He had not been in the home for the 30 days required to be considered a settler under Texas property law when police were first called to the property on February 29, but the couple claims officers made no effort to verify or even verify his opposing account. His identity.
After intense legal procedures and several confrontations, the couple evicted the settler two months later. They said they incurred about $17,000 in damages, services and court fees, clearing the “last actual dollars” in their account.
Texas homeowners who finally evict settlers 'treated like criminals'
5. Random pirates in Florida set up homes on abandoned boats
Squatters in Florida Migrants are increasingly moving into abandoned boats dumped along the coast, according to authorities working to clear out boats and squatters.
“We've seen a tremendous increase, actually, throughout the county,” Martin County Sheriff's Office Lt. Michael Dougherty told local media in January. “There would be homeless people sitting on the boat, and then it would break down, and there were several instances where boats came loose and ran onto the docks.”
The Martin County Sheriff's Office says it has long dealt with abandoned boats left to rot along the Florida coast, but authorities say homeless individuals are now increasingly staying aboard the boats. The county is located along the southeastern coast of Florida and includes cities such as Jupiter Island and Jensen Beach.
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“One of the byproducts of having a lot of ships in our area is that some of these ships tend to break down severely and become inoperable,” Vice President John Budinsek told Fox News Digital. “And because they become inoperable, some of these owners will abandon them, or sell them to someone who does not re-register the vessel. And these people, in turn, keep these boats or run these vessels until they are completely inoperable, sink, or leak fuel, If it has the capacity to carry fuel, or leak human waste, it becomes… A real danger to us environmentally“.
