Bayside neighborhood 'uneasy' after alleged squatter moves in
BAYSIDE, Queens (WABC) -- Some people living in a Queens neighborhood worry they have a squatter on their hands.
They say a stranger moved into an empty home, and they've spent years trying to get answers. After reaching out to owners and local and national lawmakers, they contacted 7 On Your Side.
It's a peaceful, quiet neighborhood in Bayside, Queens, full of manicured lawns and tree-lined streets where everyone knows each other.
But residents say that changed when longtime resident Richard Klibschon died in 2018.
He lived alone in his home in Bayside, Queens. He didn't have children or immediate heirs.
When he passed away, his beloved home sat empty.
That's when residents said a man moved in more than two years ago. He's referred to as the "illegal occupant" in bank documentation. People in the neighborhood said they're feeling "increasingly apprehensive, uneasy and very concerned" about the neighborhood's safety in a letter to their local congressman.
The letter states that the man is believed to be Vernon Glass.
That's a name we've heard before, from an Eyewitness News report back in June of 2018.
That's when police in Nassau County said Vernon Glass took over a vacant home, changed the locks, and rented the home to three people, claiming he collected thousands in rent.
Glass initially pleaded not guilty in court. But a year later, he pleaded guilty to a lesser felony and misdemeanor charge. He was sentenced to 5 years' probation in December of 2019.
Four years later, court records show a lawsuit was filed against Glass and another woman.
The owners of a home in Flushing, Queens, claimed Glass and another woman entered their property "by force" and "without permission." They asked the judge to evict them.
An attorney for the homeowners told Investigative Reporter Dan Krauth the family lost so much money when the two allegedly moved in that the house went into foreclosure and they dropped the case against them.
Later that same month, in March of 2024 is when residents in Bayside said they first spotted a man in the Bayside home.
7 On Your Side tried to get answers from the man as he approached the home.
"Do you live in this house?" asked reporter Dan Krauth. The man answered, "Yes, but I don't want to be on the news," and then entered the home and shut the door.
He would not confirm his identity.
The law firm representing the bank that is handling the mortgage told residents in a letter that it does not have the authority to remove the "illegal occupant" as a foreclosure sale has not been completed.
They've been trying to resolve the situation in Queens Surrogate's Court, where estates are settled.
Last year, the firm filed to have what's called a Public Administrator appointed to represent the deceased homeowner's property.
Then, this summer, that new administrator filed documents to get any illegal occupants removed.
The occupants of the Bayside home were served documents ordering them to attend a court hearing in July before a judge. Court records show no one showed up against the appointed administrator.
Congressman Tom Souzzi, who has been helping neighbors to get information and to get a public administrator appointed, said he's hopeful a resolution will happen soon.
In a statement, he said:
"This is an awful situation. A fraudster is wrecking the quality of life for the entire neighborhood. While it's not a federal issue, we all need to do everything we can to right this wrong."
Residents are now waiting to see if an official warrant of eviction is issued. That starts the process of legally removing anyone from inside the home.
Eyewitness News has repeatedly reached out to the man living in the home and attorneys who have represented him in the past but received no answers.
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