Handyman delivers the state of squatting in 2023
A handyman who helps homeowners get rid of their squatters says America needs to work together to fix the problem before it reaches the point of no return.
Two of the three squatters who allegedly took over a woman’s $1 million home in New York City fled the property after recently having a tense stand-off with the property’s owner and facing "vigilantes" who tried to evict the illegal tenants, a new report details.
Adele Andaloro, 47, said her property in Flushing, Queens, had been taken over by a group of squatters while the woman tried to sell the property last month. The home had been owned by Andaloro’s parents, who had left her the house when they died.
This week, the Daily Mail reported that a pair of "vigilantes" had visited the home to confront the squatters and try to get them off the property.
"We are looking to get this guy out," one of the men, who was wearing a pro-Trump T-shirt during the ordeal, told the Daily Mail of why they were there. "I am here to talk to him. I want to see why he is here."
A home in Flushing, Queens, New York, that was reportedly taken over by squatters. (Google Maps)
The squatters did not leave immediately after the two men appeared on the doorstep demanding answers, but two of the allegedly illegal tenants fled the property the next day, the Daily Mail reported. Two of the alleged squatters were seen jumping into a car while shielding their faces from cameras and refusing to answer any questions, the outlet reported.
It is unclear whether they left for good. Fox News Digital tried to reach Andaloro on Thursday morning for any updates on the case.
Another squatter said he lives there legally and will leave after he gets a deposit back.
"I have no idea what is going on here with this nonsense. I’m trying to get my money back and just get out of here. I have nothing to do with this," the man, identified as Kevin Balletsy, said.
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"I have receipts saying I paid landlord and the real estate other than that I am no part of it," he continued in comment to the outlet. "I wash my hands of this, and I’m gone."
Late last month, the homeowner had a tense stand-off with the reported squatters after she had met with a news crew for an interview outside the home to discuss the crime. One of the reported squatters appeared outside during the interview, and left the home's front door open. Andaloro and the news crew entered the house, where they found one of the alleged squatters asleep and some of Andaloro’s personal belongings still in the house.
Street in Flushing, Queens, New York, where squatters reportedly took over a home. (Google Maps )
"This is proving everything I said, this is my furniture, these are my curtains," Andaloro said on camera to ABC 7 as she entered the home.
"Who are you, sir? Get out of my house," she was seen telling a sleeping man in one of the rooms in the house.
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The men reportedly called 911 on Andaloro as she called a locksmith to come over and change the locks on the reported squatters.
Under New York City law, people can claim "squatter’s rights" on a property if they have lived there at least 30 days.
Police escorted the squatters off the property, while Andaloro had a locksmith come in and change the locks on the home. Before leaving, police warned Andaloro that she could face legal penalties if she were to change the locks, because it is illegal to turn off any utilities or change the locks of a home where someone says they are a tenant.
Less than 10 minutes after the locks were changed, a man claiming to be on a lease for the home pushed through the home's door, and police soon arrived at the home again, ABC 7 reported.
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Police told the homeowner that "he can't be kicked out, you have to go to court" and arrested Andaloro for unlawful eviction over her changing the locks on the home, ABC 7 reported.
Handcuffs on top of a fingerprint form. (iStock)
"It’s enraging," Andaloro told ABC 7 of the ordeal. "It’s not fair that I, as the homeowner, have to be going through this."
Following the arrest, the homeowner told the Daily Mail that she and her family were getting out of town, while calling the experience "crazy."
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"We are leaving. We are getting out of town," she told the outlet.
Neighbors of the house are reportedly up in arms over the controversy, with one local, only identified as Kosta, telling the Daily Mail he’s been "on edge" since they arrived last month.
The sun rises on the skyline of midtown Manhattan and the Empire State Building in New York City on Dec. 12, 2023. (Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)
"We all know what they are up to, so we’re all kind of pissed about it," Kosta told the outlet Tuesday.
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The squatters also reportedly carried out construction work on the home, according to the neighbor, who said he saw boards covering the home and claimed they were "doing construction on the house all night long."
"I heard a drill and saw through my window that they were drilling holes into the wall and putting up boards," Kosta said.
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The squatting case follows other high-profile squatting incidents in the Big Apple, including a separate case in Queens where a couple and their child, who has Down syndrome, say they have been unable to move into their $2 million home due to a squatter.
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