A homeowner’s dream house came crashing into the ocean — and now the state is suing him over the mess. Picture: Instagram/kevin_makana_emery
A man’s beach home dream has become a nightmare after he watched it crumble into the ocean, just three years after buying it. But then things got even worse.
The state of Hawaii is now suing homeowner, Josh VanEmmerik for letting the collapse happen.
Footage captured by stunned locals shows VanEmmerik’s once-luxurious oceanfront house on Oahu’s North Shore breaking apart and being swallowed by the waves.
VanEmmerik purchased the home for $1.45m (US$1m) in 2021 with the listing description warning of erosion.
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After he took time to remodel the property, he listed the home a couple of years later for $3.63m (US$2.5m).
He then dropped the price to $2.9m (US$2m), shortly before the home went tumbling into the ocean.
Footage captured by a local shows the home crashing into the waves. Picture: Instagram/kevin_makana_emery
31-year-old VanEmmerik is being slammed for failing to stop the collapse from happening. Picture: Instagram/kevin_makana_emery
The homeowner had resorted to desperate measures to save the property, placing sandbags, concrete and rocks around the base in an attempt to battle the encroaching waters.
But his efforts didn’t comply with state regulations, and officials say he failed to remove the unauthorised structures in time.
The wreckage left debris strewn across a public beach, prompting an immediate outcry from neighbours and state officials alike.
And the state isn’t letting VanEmmerik off the hook easily. According to their lawsuit, debris from the collapse — including concrete, wood and broken glass — now litters the beach, which is public land, according to the Post.
Officials are demanding he clean up the mess and seeking financial damages to restore the area to its natural state.
The state of Hawaii’s lawsuit claims debris from the collapse is polluting public land. Picture: Instagram/kevin_makana_emery
“This is the beach that my daughter plays on. It’s literally covered in broken glass,” local Kevin Makana Emery wrote on Instagram under a video of the shocking scene.
The 31-year-old homeowner, who also owns a bar in Kailua, had already been slapped with a hefty $77,000 fine last year for violations related to erosion control at his home.
“Private landowners take a risk when they allow structures to be so close to the shoreline,” Deputy Attorney-General Danica Swenson told Hawaii News Now.
Debris is shown encroaching on a public beach. Picture: Instagram/kevin_makana_emery
The lawsuit argues that the debris became “unwanted material” on state-owned land the moment the house collapsed.
All beaches in Hawaii up to the high tide mark are public property, and the state is determined to clean up the wreckage for the safety of its residents.
Locals are furious, both at VanEmmerik and the state, with some accusing the government of dragging its feet.
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State officials are demanding he clean up the mess and pay damages to restore the beach. Picture: Instagram/kevin_makana_emery
Now as the wreckage of VanEmmerik’s home floats in the ocean, the state is moving to clean up the mess — and make sure he pays for it.
Demolition crews were spotted tearing down the remnants of the house, but the damage to the beach remains a sore spot for locals.
The state hopes to restore the beach to its former glory, but it could be a costly and lengthy process.
Beachside home erosion is also a cause for concern in Australia, with 20 locations in NSW being identified as ‘at risk of coast erosion’ last year.
NSW suburbs under threat from coastal erosion in the next 30 years have also been revealed in a recent report. Picture: Darren Leigh-Roberts
The 2023 report listed coastal erosion hot spots expected to be impacted over the next 30 years, spanning from Sydney Harbour and Northern Beaches to the Central Coast, Hunter and Northern Rivers.
Earlier reports in a 2022 whitepaper also identified that billions worth of Gold Coast property is severely ‘at risk’ from rising sea levels and coastal erosion, showing that there is a ‘very high risk’ that it will be affected sometime within the next three decades.
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Parts of this report first appeared in The Post and were republished with permission.
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