Intruders breaking into, staying in condemned Plainfield building, residents say
PLAINFIELD, N.J. -- The residents of a condemned building in Plainfield say while they were forced out of their homes, intruders are breaking in and staying in their apartments.
A few bags contain all Catalina Montero was able to get out of her apartment at 501 W. 7th St. in Plainfield after the building wa condemned back in August.
"For me, is too bad, no sleeping, no eat," she said.
The 55-year-old says she's been living in her car since then, and Thursday morning, she discovered someone used a chair to get ahold of the fire escape and break into her apartment.
She says a friend shot video of the alleged intruder, who police surrounded but let go.
"My apartment is beautiful," Montero said.
Another person associated with the building, who doesn't want to be identified, says he shot video of a woman inside another apartment.
"Why are you every day here?" the man can be heard asking.
"It's not every day, I only came here last night," the woman says.
"Why?" the man asks.
"Because I was homeless and I just needed somewhere to sleep for one night," the woman says.
CBS New York also noticed other broken windows.
One resident, a mom of four who didn't want to be identified, told us through an interpreter it's heartbreaking.
"Imagine that we are sleeping in the floor, and we are sleeping sometimes in a sofa, and they break into the building and they're sleeping in our beds," she said. "Do something with the people that is breaking in to steal our belongings."
The residents we spoke to say they initially received money to stay in a hotel for five days but have received no other help since then.
"We need the city to move quickly," community activist Flor Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez wants the city and state to help displaced residents.
"Make an action to help the people, that way our children are not homeless no more," she said.
We reached out to Plainfield's mayor and the police department, but no one has gotten back to us.
"Why aren't they not working with the owners to try to get this done diligently so that these tenants can come back?" building property manager Magda Vasquez said.
The building's property manager says while she's not speaking on behalf of owners, she's supervising repairs and estimates displaced residents won't get back in for at least another two months.