A woman who inherited a home in New York City full of people squatting illegally was arrested and led away in handcuffs after she changed the locks.
Adele Andaloro, 47, was placed under arrest at her $1 million home in Flushing, Queens, which she inherited from her parents after they died.
"It’s enraging," Andaloro told the NY Post. "It’s not fair that I, as the homeowner, have to be going through this."
Andaloro claims the ordeal erupted when she started the process of trying to sell the home last month but realized squatters had moved in — and brazenly replaced the entire front door and locks.
Fed up, she recently went to her family’s home on 160th Street — with the local TV outlet in tow — and called a locksmith to change the locks for her. -NY Post
The spat with the squatters, which was caught on camera, rapidly erupted into a verbal altercation until the cops showed up and led Andaloro away - charging her with 'unlawful eviction.'
As the Post notes, people can claim "squatter's rights" if they've been squatting for just 30 days at a property. This makes it illegal for homeowners to change the locks, turn off the utilities, or remove the squatters' belongings.
"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."
During the recent encounter at her home, Andaloro — who was armed with the deeds — was filmed entering the property after one of the apparent tenants left the front door open.
After changing the locks, a man claiming to be on the lease — identified by the local outlet as Brian Rodriguez — returned to the property and barged through the front door.
“You shouldn’t be trying to steal my house,” a furious Andaloro yelled at him during the caught-on-camera ordeal.
Following a flurry of 911 calls, responding cops told Andaloro she had to sort the saga out in housing court because it was considered a “landlord-tenant issue.” -NY Post
Andaloro says she's now been forced to go through the court system to start an eviction filing to settle the landlord-tenant dispute.
As the Post further reports, this is the latest such incident - which comes weeks after a couple's plan to move into a $2 million home in Douglaston, Queens with their disabled son was derailed by a squatter who claimed to have an agreement with the previous owner.
In another incident, a squatter turned a Rockaways home into a 'house of horrors' with over a dozen emaciated cats and dogs trapped inside.