A small fire in a single family home in a relatively upscale
neighborhood of New Hempstead exposed an illegal boarding house owned
and operated by notorious New Square hasidic slumlord Joseph Klein, who has had
more than his share of run-ins with Ramapo zoning authorities and local
courts.
Joseph Klein
Fire Exposes Hasidic Slumlord’s Illegal Boardinghouse
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com
A small fire in a single family home in a relatively upscale neighborhood of New Hempstead exposed an illegal boarding house owned and operated by notorious New Square hasidic slumlord Joseph Klein, who has had more than his share of run-ins with Ramapo zoning authorities and local courts.
Even so, in the scandal-plagued town just north of New York City, multiple repeat violations of housing, fire and safety codes stretching over years doesn’t seem to be enough to get town officials to put Klein out of business.
When the fire department was called to put out a small stove fire Tuesday in a single family home, its responders found Klein’s illegal boarding house – an illegal boarding house with 19 tenants including children, infested with bugs and trash.
One of Klein’s property managers was reportedly heard criticizing a tenant, Inez Henriquez, for calling the fire department.
“You don’t call the Fire Department over a spark. You’ll end up sleeping in a car. This is a big problem,” Yaniv Razak reportely told her.
New Hempstead Fire Inspector Chris Kear told the Journal News that tenants in the illegal dwelling faced dangerous, unsanitary conditions.
“The house is a mess. Tenants say there are bedbugs, cockroaches, no working smoke detectors or carbon monoxide detectors. People are living in unsafe and illegal apartment in the basement with just one means of exit in an emergency,” Kear reportedly said.
Razak reportedly refused to give Kear the address of Klein’s office so Kear could deliver the violation notices to him personally. Instead, Razak said he would pick ou the violations from Kear and deliver them personally.
According to Kear, eight adults and five children lived on the first floor in six bedrooms, four of which had locks on the doors. Three adults and three children lived in makeshift basement apartments.
The average rental rate was $500 per month per room.
A 10-year-old boy was found home alone during the fire while his parents were at work.
In the past two years, Klein has been fined $20,000 in Spring Valley, $8,500 in Ramapo, $5,000 in Haverstraw, and another $5,000 in Clarkstown for operating illegal housing. Several of his properties have also faced foreclosure.
[Hat Tips: Ruthie, Devorah.]