A homeowner in Queens was reportedly detained for allegedly trying to kick squatters out of her own home.
Video shows Adele Andaloro approaching squatters at her $1 million home in Flushing, which she inherited after her parents died, after hiring a locksmith to change the locks back on her property, ABC 7’s Eyewitness News reported. Police took Andaloro into custody soon after they were called by the squatters.
“They’ve called the police on me, and I’ve called the locksmith,” Andaloro said. “I didn’t come in illegally. The door was open.”
Andaloro was in the process of selling her property when squatters first changed her front door and home locks, ABC 7 reported. The homeowner decided to confront the squatters and hire a locksmith after witnessing an unknown woman unlock her home’s door and leave.
Andaloro entered the house accompanied by her daughter and with the property deed in hand, according to ABC 7. She entered her home and found two people inside, footage showed. One man was sleeping in a bedroom. The homeowner told him to “get out of my house.” One man inside the property told the outlet that he “moved in two days ago.”
“You shouldn’t be trying to steal my house,” Andaloro was heard yelling in the video at a man. He was Brian Rodriguez, one of the squatters who claims to be on the lease, according to ABC 7. When pressed by the reporter to provide documentation of his supposed lease, he could not do so, the video showed.
Police told Andaloro she had to untangle the dispute in housing court because the situation was considered a “landlord-tenant issue.” Along with being detained by police, the homeowner said she was forced to initiate an eviction filing in court to resolve the issue. (RELATED: ‘We Broke In’: Florida Family Famous For Extravagant Christmas Display Exposed As Squatters: REPORT)
The Daily Caller received a reply to a request for comment by the New York Police Department (NYPD).
“On … February 29 … police responded to a 911 call for a burglary … Upon arrival at the scene, a 47 year-old female was taken into custody and brought back to the precinct,” the NYPD’s Office of the Deputy Commissioner, Public Information’s spokesperson told the Caller. “A further investigation revealed that the individual changed the locks to the home without giving the complainant a copy of the new key and refused to leave the location. The individual was released with a Criminal Court Summons for unlawful eviction. There was no arrest nor any additional summonses issued in regard.”
“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 in ABC 7’s video. “I’m really fearful that these people are going to get away with stealing my home.”
New York City recognizes claims of squatter rights in people who have occupied a property for at least 30 days, according to the outlet.