'Disrespectful act': NJ man speaks after officials say neighbor had his trees cut down

A Kinnelon resident whose neighbor allegedly cut down 32 trees on his property without permission or a permit detailed the shock and anger he felt when he came home to discover the unauthorized landscaping.

Samih Shinway resides at the Denise Drive property where the trees were ordered to be cut down. On Feb. 27, he returned home from work early at 4:15 p.m. only to hear sounds coming from the back of his property. Shinway drove his quad toward the sounds to find the trees being cut down.

"I came out and saw them cutting the trees down," Shinway said. "I was very irate. I said 'What are you guys doing here?'"

The workers told Shinway they had been hired to remove the trees to improve the area's view of the surrounding valleys and New York City. When Shinway asked why they ignored the 'No Trespassing' signs posted around his property, they responded that they had been told the owner had given them permission to go forward with the project.

Shinway said he called the police, who arrived on scene as the workers were preparing to leave the property.

"Why would anybody feel that they had the right to encroach on somebody's property, that's clearly outlined by their own fence, and do as they please on somebody else's property?" Shinway said. "It just felt like a very egregious act, almost too egregious. A disrespectful act."

Shinway is passionate about ensuring the health of the forest on his 5 acres of property. A year after moving on the property, he hired a forester to develop a plan on how to deforest the area in a way that would optimize the health and safety of the wildlife that lived there.

"He created a whole mapping of my property, the soil type, what kind of trees are there and he created a plan of how he'd deforest to keep the forest healthy and viable," Shinway said. "When he cut trees down, he'll create habitats with branches that animals could live under. So it's, you know, a healthy way of managing the forest."

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The tree cutting that took place in February does not align with this plan. Shinway hopes that by being open about what happened on his property he can raise awareness about similar events that take place around the country.

"I'd like there to be more attention toward this on a national level," Shinway said. "I hope that there's some legislation that comes about regarding illegal trespassing for the purpose of cutting trees down, mining, rocks, dirt, whatever it is."

Grant Haber, resident of 72 Denise Drive, who allegedly ordered the trees to be cut down, is facing up to a $1,000 fine per tree. The cost to replant is allegedly estimated to be over an additional $1 million.

Haber was scheduled to attend a preliminary hearing on Tuesday in Kinnelon Municipal Court over Zoom, but the session was rescheduled for an in-person meeting on July 18 due to defense attorney, Matthew Mueller, needing more time to review discovery in the case.

The Zoom call was open to the public and hit capacity at 100 viewers due to a viral Twitter thread that outlined the details of the case. An additional 100 people were waiting to be admitted from the call's waiting room.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Kinnelon NJ man speaks after neighbor had 32 of his trees cut