A New York City homeowner was handcuffed by police after she tried to change the locks of the home she owned to keep out a group of alleged squatters, WABC-TV reported.
Adele Andaloro, 47, was reportedly arrested after changing the locks on her $1 million home in Flushing, Queens. Andaloro inherited the house from her parents and was in the process of selling it when squatters moved in to occupy the residence.
“It’s enraging,” Andaloro said. “It’s not fair that I, as the homeowner, have to go through this.”
A woman gets arrested for removing squatters out of her $1,000,000 house in Queens, NY.
Adel Andaloro inherited her family's home in Flushing, Queens after her parents passed away and was in the process of selling it when she noticed that someone illegally moved in. pic.twitter.com/JjCIIQVjjP
— WarOfIdeas (@WarOfIdeas_) March 20, 2024
The ordeal started when Andaloro discovered the squatters inside her house. Last month she paid locksmiths to change the front and back door locks.
A squatter can invoke “squatter’s rights” in New York City after 30 days of residing in someone else’s home. Under the state’s liberal law, it is illegal for the rightful owner of the home to change the locks, turn off the utilities, or remove the belongings of the squatters 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 entered the house because one of the squatters left the front door open and she noticed it.
A man reportedly named “Brian Rodriguez” claimed to have a lease on the property and broke through the front door since the locks had been changed.
“You shouldn’t be trying to steal my house!” Andaloro yelled.
https://abc7ny.com/squatter-standoff-captured-on-camera-in-queens/14540298/
When authorities responded to the incident, they informed Andaloro she had no recourse but to take the issue to housing court because it was considered a “landlord-tenant issue.”
Andaloro was taken into custody because in changing the locks she had participated in an “unlawful eviction,” according to One America News.
In addition to her arrest, Andaloro claims she is being pressured to initiate a court eviction to resolve the conflict.
Until that happens — if and when it does in liberal New York — Andaloro’s home is not her own. It belongs to the squatters.
