Woman arrested trying to remove squatters from her $1 million home and people are outraged
A confrontation between a New York homeowner and squatters who she was attempting to remove from her $1 million home ended with her arrest.
Adele Andaloro inherited her family's home in Flushing, Queens after her parents passed away.
She was in the process of selling the property when she noticed that someone had changed the entire front door - as well as having also switched up the locks.
Speaking to ABC7 recently, Andaloro claims they'd moved into her home in February and have since refused to leave.
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"It's not fair that I, as the homeowner, have to be going through this," she said. "I'm really fearful that these people are going to get away with stealing my home.
"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."
According to ABC7, squatters have rights after 30 days in New York - so Andaloro decided to take matters into her own hands.
Accompanied by Eyewitness News, she recently went to her property when a woman walked up to the house, unlocked the door, and then left.
So she decided to enter the house with her daughter - and her property deed in hand.
"This is proving everything I said, this is my furniture, these are my curtains," Andaloro said as she walked into the house.
She also discovered two people living there - one of which was sleeping in the bedroom.
"Who are you sir, get out of my house," she told him.
One of the men claimed to Eyewitness News that he'd been in the home for two days, while the other refused to answer questions.
Andaloro went on to suggest one of the men called the police, saying: "They've called the police on me and I've called the locksmith. We didn't come in illegally, the door was open."
After police arrived shortly after, they interviewed the men, the neighbors, and requested documents.
But the men didn't provide any and were subsequently escorted off the property.
Another man who claimed to be the person leasing the house then showed up, alongside one of the men who'd been escorted off the property.
He then 'pushed' through the front door, with Andaloro claiming he'd 'broke down' the door and through her and her daughter.
When police arrived, they told Andaloro he 'couldn't be evicted' and she'd 'have to go to court' - with Eyewitness News claiming they consider it to be a landlord-tenant issue.
Because Andaloro had changed the locks, she was ultimately arrested for unlawful eviction.
When Eyewitness News spoke to the man, identified as Brian Rodriguez, he claimed that he had a lease but showed them bills for work he'd supposedly done to the house.
He also said he'd signed a document with a realtor, but wouldn't say who.
Rodriguez said he'll leave 'if she pays me my money that I put in the house', adding: "Pay me the money and I'll leave or send me to court it's that simple."
Andaloro said she has no choice but to start an eviction filing in court.
UNILAD has contacted NYPD for further information.
Callum Jones