Man who chopped down neighbor's tree 'for better view' could be forced to pay $1,000,000
Gerrard Kaonga
Featured Image Credit: USA TODAY NETWORK/Coldwell Banker
That is one expensive new view... but one can only hope that the New Jersey neighbors can get to the ROOT of the problem..
A security executive decided he wanted to have a better view of the New York skyline from his massive home in New Jersey.
But his actions could cost him a whopping $1 million dollars, in a serious lack of forethought.
But I bet if he could speak to his younger self, he’d tell him to leaf the trees alone. I promise that is the last tree pun.
Advert
Grant Haber cut down his neighbours trees without a permit and was last year ordered to pay $16,400 (£13,000).
However, the damages of his actions could exceed $1 million, as he was forced to pay for the replacement and care of the felled trees, according to reports.
He had paid a contractor in March of 2023 to chop down 32 trees that were obscuring his view at his home in the wealthy Kinnelon area in New Jersey. He was able to cut a deal that saw him only fined for 18 of them.
Without the deal, Haber would have faced a $32,000 fine - as well as a trespassing charge.
But Haber isn’t out of the woods just yet. Sorry I had to.
On Monday (February 26) Judge Andrew Wubbenhorst scheduled an additional restitution hearing for April 19.
The neighbor, Samih Shinway, who had his trees cut down on his 7-acre property, has previously said he is “never going to be 100% satisfied” and still remains annoyed at the entire situation.
“I always use the analogy that if you hire someone to put a hit out on somebody, they are just as liable as the person who did it,” he told The Daily Record following the hearing.
According to a New York Post report, property records have shown that Haber no longer resides at the residence as he was able to sell the Kennelon property in November for $1.8 million.
The sale of 5,000-square-foot home, which has five bedrooms and six baths, netted Haber a tidy bit of profit as it is estimated that he sold it for $500,000 more than what he paid for it in 2014.
The story of the two neighbors at odds with each other has also gone viral on social media, with many remarking that Haber better be ready to pay for his costly mistake.
On Monday Haber told the court he would pay the fine within 30 days.
I don't know about you, but this expensive error has made an impression on me, in fact it has left me shaking like a...