Three squatters were busted on Friday inside an empty multimillion-dollar Manhattan townhouse owned by a designer to the stars.
Cops raided the Upper East Side home owned by Richard Stark, co-founder of Chrome Hearts, a luxury retail brand celebrated by the likes of Jay Z and Bella Hadid for its edgy silver jewellery and black clothes, reports the New York Post .
Charges have not yet been filed against the woman and two men found at the more than 1500-square metre home, which was put up for sale in 2013 for $19.52 million and taken off the market the following year. The townhouse was put up for sale in 2013 for $19.52 million. Picture: New York Post. The store inside the massive home closed around a decade ago, and it appears the four-storey townhouse has been sitting empty since.
Neighbour Joel Mindel, 82, and his wife Susan, who have lived on the street since the 1980s, said the building has long been in disrepair and causes problems on the street.
“They had all these notices on the door for (power company) Con-Ed to go inside to check the water or electricity. All these notices piled up and became violations on the website,” Susan said.
“We don’t like abandoned buildings on our street. It’s a threat.” Joel said.
“Someone can always get in, like a robber can get in and go on the roof to get into our home. It’s not safe.” Bella Hadid at a Chrome Hearts event in 2015. Picture: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Chrome Hearts. Elle Macpherson is also a fan of the brand Picture: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Chrome Hearts. As of Friday afternoon, Chrome Hearts was unaware of the arrests and any police activity at the home, a spokesperson said.
But pictures show a few officers at the home, leading the squatters into a cop car and an ambulance around 11.30am local time.
The stunning house features four bedrooms and four bathrooms, according to Zillow, and has its own courtyard.
On Friday, it was evident the house had been long-forgotten, with a pile of leaves blocking the entrance and the first floor devoid of any furniture.
Chrome Hearts has stores all around the world and celebs from Cher to Kanye West to Elton John have been spotted in the brand.
This story first appeared in the New York Post and has been republished with permission
