Neighbours band together to save home from illegal act

The home sat empty for years after oversights by various authorities. Picture: Supplied Neighbours say it took more than two years to evict squatters from their neighbourhood, and only after they banded together and persuaded politicians and local media to step in. Harry Yanakis said he and his neighbours first noticed Vernon Glass and Lusascha Taylor, who have been accused of serial squatting, at New York property in 2024. The two-storey Cape Cod – style home is located in the leafy, suburban neighbourhood of Bayside and is currently listed for sale for $915,000. The previous owner, Richard Klibschon, died of a heart attack in 2018, and because he had a heavy reverse mortgage, his relatives were reluctant to take the property on. Typically, in a case like Klibschon’s, the home would go through a probate process where the state evaluates and settles the deceased’s outstanding debts through the sale of property. If no outstanding debts exist and if no relative can be found, the property is then transferred to the state and put on the market. Instead, the three-bedroom home sat unoccupied for years, stuck in legal limbo, making it a prime target for squatters. Authorities believe Gla...