Dozens of people found living in Queens basement transferred to Bronx migrant shelter: sources
RICHMOND HILL, Queens (PIX11) – An onsite building inspection in Queens led to the discovery of more than 70 people living at a store on Monday, according to law enforcement sources.
The incident happened around 11:40 p.m. at 132-03 Liberty Ave. in Richmond Hill, sources told PIX11 News. The FDNY responded to the building due to a complaint about e-bikes in the rear yard, officials said on Tuesday. That’s when around 40 beds were discovered on the ground floor and in the cellar, according to the FDNY.
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A 311 call prompted an investigation into the building, Mayor Eric Adams said during a news conference on Tuesday.
“The system did its job,” Adams said. “It started with a 311 complaint and the city responded accordingly.”
The people were transported to a migrant shelter in the Bronx, sources said. The Office of Emergency Management confirmed to PIX11 News that it responded to the scene.
The backyard of the building was filled with what appeared to be delivery bikes, photos from the scene show.
Ebou Sarr, who owns the business that’s located in the building, told PIX11 News on Tuesday that he was charging migrants $300 a month to live there. He said most of the migrants are from Senegal, and that he was providing them with breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Sarr said there were two bathrooms available in the building, but he also gave out memberships to Planet Fitness so they could shower there. One migrant told PIX11 News shower situation at the business was better than at the shelters.
Sarr also said he’s looking at commercial properties to help them find a place to live.
“The city is saying that they have no place for these people,” Sarr said. “It’s not true.”
City officials have not confirmed if the people living in the basement were migrants.
When asked about the situation during Tuesday’s news conference, a member of the Adams administration said that there is a housing problem in New York City – but also defended the city’s handling of the migrant crisis.
“What we discovered last night in some ways is also symptomatic of a larger crisis that this city is facing that we’ve talked about repeatedly in terms of the housing shortage in this city,” said Maria Torres-Springer, the deputy mayor for housing. “It is not a new thing that too many people make desperate choices about where to live and what to pay for and at the root of that is the fact that we haven’t built enough housing.”
The Department of Buildings issued a vacate order for the building due to unsafe conditions found in the basement, such as overcrowding, according to sources. After the FDNY found numerous fire hazards, the New York City Emergency Management Department referred people in need of further assistance, sources said.
Erin Pflaumer is a digital content producer from Long Island who has covered both local and national news since 2018. She joined PIX11 in 2023. See more of her work here.
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