WITH DETAILS.
>>> THANKS FOR JOINING US THIS
MORNING.
I’M ADAM KUPERSTEIN.
WE BEGIN WITH BREAKING NEWS OUT
OF QUEENS WHERE POLICE SAY THEY
FOUND NEARLY DOZENS OF MIGRANTS
LIVING IN A SMALL, CRAMPED BASEMENT.
EMERGENCY SERVICES HAVE NOW BEEN
CALLED FOR THIS AND NEWS 4’S
MELISSA COLORADO IS LIVE. WE’RE TALKING UP TO 40 PEOPLE
LIVING IN THIS BASEMENT SPACE AT
ONE TIME?
>> ADAM, IT’S ACTUALLY MORE.
I JUST SPOKE TO THE LANDLORD AND
HE CONFIRMED TO ME THAT HE HAD
74 MIGRANTS LIVING IN THIS
PROPERTY, LIVING IN THE BASEMENT.
YOU CAN SEE POLICE OFFICERS ARE
HERE ON SCENE.
IT’S ALL PART OF THIS ONGOING
INVESTIGATION, AND I ALSO SPOKE
TO THE NEIGHBOR, THE NEXT-DOOR
NEIGHBOR WHO SAID SHE WAS THE ONE WHO CALLED 311.
SHE MADE THE COMPLAINT AND SHE
SAID SHE WAS CONCERNED FOR HER
SAFETY BECAUSE OF NOTICING ALL
OF THE E-BIKES THAT WERE PARKED
NEXT DOOR TO HER PROPERTY. WE ARE TOLD THIS STARTED WITH
FDNY INSPECTORS LOOKING INTO THE
COMPLAINT MADE BY THE NEXT-DOOR
NEIGHBOR ABOUT MULTIPLE E-BIKE
BATTERIES FOUND ON THE SIDE OF
THE HOME.
THE LANDLORD CONFIRMED HE HAD 74
MIGRANTS AND SLEEPING IN SHIFTS
AND BUNK BEDS AND SLEEPING IN
THE BASEMENT OF THIS PROPERTY.
HE SAID HE FELT BAD FOR THESE
MIGRANTS AND MOST OF THEM FROM AFRICA WHO WERE TRYING TO MAKE A
LIVING OUT HERE AND NOT BEING
FOUND ANY SHELTER HERE.
OFFICIALS STARTED ASKING QUESTIONS AND THEY DISCOVERED AS
MANY AS 80 MIGRANTS, BUT WE ARE
BEING TOLD THAT NUMBER IS 74 AND
THEY WERE SLEEPING IN SHIFTS IN THE BASEMENT OF THIS FORM.
SINGLE ADULT MIGRANTS CAN STAY
IN CITY-RUN SHELTERS FOR 30 DAYS AND MIGRANTS CAN RE-APPLY, BUT
THE DISNEYLAND TELLING ME THESEL
ME THEY WERE TIRED OF SLEEPING
OUTDOORS AND THIS WAS THE BEST
OPTION HE COULD PROVIDE FOR THEM.
THIS BASEMENT BEHIND THIS TURN
DHUR STORE
FURNITURE STORE AND THERE’S BEEN
A VACATE OWNER.
HE SAID HE FELT HORRIBLE AND
SORRY FOR THE MIGRANTS AND
TRYING TO FIND SOME TYPE OF
SHELTER FOR THEM AND THEY HAD
BEEN STAYING THERE IN BUNK BEDS
AND SLEEPING IN SHIFTS AND TWO BATHROOMS AND HE WAS TRYING TO
FIND PORTA-POTTIES BECAUSE HE
HAD 74 MEN SLEEPING IN THAT BASEMENT AND RIGHT NOW WE’RE
TRYING TO FIND OUT MORE
INFORMATION FROM THE FDNY AND
FDPD, WHERE THEY WILL GO AND WE
ARE TOLD AS MANY AS 74 MEN WERE LIVING IN THIS BASEMENT.
TAKE A LISTEN.
>> THEY DON’T WANT TO GO. .
THEY WOULD RATHER STAY HERE THAN
GO BACK.
I WAS TALKING TO THE GUY WHO WAS
IN CHARGE.
HE PROMISED ME THAT THEY WOULD HAVE A PLACE FOR THEM.
THEY HAVE A PLACE FOR THEM.
THAT’S WHAT THEY TOLD ME.
THEY HAVE A PLACE FOR THEM
BECAUSE I DON’T WANT THEM TO GO
BACK THROUGH THE SAME THING
AGAIN.
THAT’S WHY THEY’RE HERE. >> AND ADAM, AS I MENTIONED
BEFORE, I SPOKE TO THE NEXT-DOOR
NEIGHBOR WHO SAID SHE WAS CONCERNED ABOUT HER SAFETY
NOTICING THE, E-BIKE BATTERIES
AND YOU’VE HEARD OF THE FIRE
STARTED WITH THE LITHIUM
BATTERIES AND SHE SAID I WAS
SCARED FOR MY SAFETY, FOR MY
HOUSE AND MY FAMILY.
BACK TO YOU. >> THE LANDLORD SAYING HE WASN’T
CHARGING THEM THAT HE WAS JUST
HAVING THEM STAY THERE FOR FREE?
>> IT WAS A DONATION SYSTEM.
PEOPLE PULLING IN RESOURCES,
PEOPLE PULLING IN MONEY, BUT
ACCORDING TO THIS LANDLORD WHO
IS A MIGRANT HIMSELF HE WAS JUST
SAYING I FELT HORRIBLE FOR THESE
MEN.
THEY HAD NOWHERE ELSE TO GO AND
THIS WAS THE SOLUTION I COULD PROVIDE A BASEMENT WITH BUNK
BEDS AND PEOPLE SLEEPING IN
SHIFTS AND THE CITY WAS NOT
PROVIDING ANOTHER ALTERNATIVE
FOR THESE MEN WHO HAD NOWHERE
ELSE TO GO AND THAT WAS
ACCORDING TO THE LANDLORD AND
YOU’LL BE HEARING FROM HIM LATER TODAY AT 4:00.