Squatters suspected of starting fire at Evergreen Court facility ruins in Spring Valley

Steve Lieberman, Rockland/Westchester Journal News
Updated ·5 min read

SPRING VALLEY — Problems still haunt the burned-out Evergreen Court Home for Adults on Lafayette Street.

The former adult home is where two people died — including a village firefighter — in an inferno in March 2021.

Now, squatters have been calling the facility's remnants home, seeking shelter in whatever structures still stand. The facility that once housed the infirmed and elderly had spread across a block of Lafayette Street before the fire in the residential neighborhood.

At 10:50 p.m. Thursday, firefighters and police responded to a fire on the property, Detective Sgt. Rony Charles said Friday. Investigators suspect a lit match ignited the fire.

The property falls under the jurisdiction of the Rockland County Office of Buildings and Codes, which oversees inspections and enforcement of fire and safety codes in the village.

To force the owners to secure the property, Buildings & Codes obtained a temporary court order to compel the owners to vacate the property and either demolish what's left of the buildings or bring the property in compliance with state fire and safety codes.

However, the continued presence of squatters and Thursday's fire indicated to county officials that the property remains a hazard. The case is scheduled to return to New York State Supreme Court in New City on May 15.

Legal action: Rockland wants Evergreen Court owners to clear the wreckage from fatal fire

Rockland takes legal action to force cleanup

In November 2021, New York State replaced Spring Valley as the code enforced and deputized Rockland to inspect buildings and enforce fire codes. The decision came after years of complaints about the Building Department's dysfunction.

After the Evergreen Court owners didn't move to clean up the site after three years, the county went to court. The county wants what remains either torn down or brought into compliance with fire and safety codes, County Executive Ed Day said Friday in a statement. Given the condition of the site, county officials indicated in legal papers that they don't believe the site can be remediated.

Rockland's attorney, Thomas Humbach, said Friday that because the landlord has not taken any action after the court order, the county will ask the judge for a hearing before May 15 and explicitly order the owner to secure the property.

“This property owner is completely disregarding the court order to clean up the site and keep it vacated," Humbach said. "This owner needs to take whatever steps necessary to secure the site and prevent squatters from entering the unstable remains of this property."

Firefighters line a wall as a search efforts are underway for firefighter Jared Lloyd, after responding to a fire at 65 Lafayette St., the Evergreen Home for Adults in Spring Valley. Tuesday, March 23, 2021.
Firefighters line a wall as a search efforts are underway for firefighter Jared Lloyd, after responding to a fire at 65 Lafayette St., the Evergreen Home for Adults in Spring Valley. Tuesday, March 23, 2021.

A firefighter and a resident died in the 2021 Evergreen Court fire

The concrete and iron remains of the Evergreen Court complex hold bitter memories and emotional pain for firefighters and many residents.

At the site from March 22 to March 23, 2021, Spring Valley Fire Department Lt. Jared Lloyd and adult home resident Oliver Hueston, 79, died. Lloyd, 35, a father of two young sons, died while he and dozens of other firefighters evacuated 112 residents and employees. Several firefighters were hurt, including severely injured Eric Cich, who has since recovered from his physical injuries. Cich was among Lloyd's closest friends.

Building & Codes inspected the site on March 24 and April 2. Director Edward Markunas determined, based on inspections by Kim Weppler, that there are no legal grounds for the owners not to abate the violations.

“We all share the frustration regarding potential danger at the former Evergreen Court site," Day said in a statement. "We have done everything possible to get this landlord to make this property compliant, and the lack of action is exactly why I directed our Office of Buildings and Codes to take legal action."

Among the violations cited:

  • Four unsafe structures are being used unlawfully as residences by numerous vagrants.

  • The unsafe structures were accessible through multiple windows and doors, with some windows and interior doors partially obstructed from the inside.

  • Openings in sheetrock walls and ceilings exposed the structures to the outside elements.

  • Garbage, drug paraphernalia, open-flame Sterno cans, human, excrement, and mold were prevalent throughout the buildings.

  • The structural integrity of three of the four buildings had been compromised by either interior vandalism, theft of copper pipe, or weather and natural material decay.

  • Utilities were inoperable (no running water, heat, or electricity).

  • There were no available or operable life safety systems or devices (fire sprinklers, smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, alarms) throughout the structures.

The county's legal action names Jacob Schoenberger of Monsey. The Schoenberger family owns several adult living facilities, two of which the state closed down for health and safety violations. One 79-bed facility, New Golden Acres Adult Home, is located blocks from the Evergreen Court property on Prospect Street in Spring Valley.

The family's attorney, Lee Vartan of New Jersey, has declined comment.

The state could let the Schoenbergers rebuild Evergreen Court and reopen New Golden Acres and has not fined the family for violations. The family has never been charged with a crime as a result of the fatal fire.

Rabbi Nathanial Sommer, second from right and his son, Aaron Sommer, right, stand with their attorneys Akiva Goldberg, left and Jacob Laufer, during their sentencing at the Rockland County Courthouse in New City, Sept. 20, 2023.
Rabbi Nathanial Sommer, second from right and his son, Aaron Sommer, right, stand with their attorneys Akiva Goldberg, left and Jacob Laufer, during their sentencing at the Rockland County Courthouse in New City, Sept. 20, 2023.

The Rockland District Attorney's Office brought charges against six people, with the only convictions being guilty pleas by two rabbis, who admitted to causing the fire while koshering the kitchen and ovens for Passover with a blow torch attached to a 20-pound propane tank. The plea bargain with Nathaniel Sommer and his son Aaron came with probationary sentences.

The fire death and investigation spurred civil lawsuits against the owners, village officials, and others by the Lloyd and Hueston families. One tenant has filed a class-action lawsuit against the Schoenbergers for loss of property.

Former Spring Valley Building Inspector Wayne Ballard is suing the District Attorney's Office after a judge acquitted him of filing false reports detailing inspections with the state. Ray Canario, the fire chief and former inspector, was also acquitted of the same charges.

Steve Lieberman covers government, breaking news, courts, police, and investigations. Reach him at slieberm@lohud.com Twitter: @lohudlegal

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This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Fire started at destroyed Evergreen Court facility in Spring Valley