A man is facing a $32,000 fine for cutting down 32 trees on his neighbour's property without permission - but a little known rule could cost him a LOT more than that.
Grant Haber allegedly hired individuals to cut down ature trees in order to improve the view of New York City's skyline from his $1.75million mansion - in an area where a permit is required to remove trees.
Photographs of the property show the extensive mess left behind by the workers.
The neighbour, Samih Shinway, discovered the activity when he heard chainsaws and found a team of men on his and his cousin's properties.
Mr Haber reportedly denied any involvement initially and blamed it on a mix-up.
Mr Shinway reported the presence of crows and soil erosion since the trees were cut down in Kinnelon, New Jersey, and he also mentioned harassment by Mr Haber's dogs during a meeting with a forester.
He told the Daily Mail: "When I came home on February 27th I heard chainsaws and I drove my 4-wheeler to see where the noise was coming from. I saw a tree shredder and 4 men on my property and they were on my cousin's property too.
"Haber tried to act like it was a big mix up. The workers right away blamed him & he denied everything and told them all to leave. Haber came out and said 'isn’t this a disaster? Who would do this?'. Ever since he cut the trees down there’s been lots of crows and Soil erosion.
"When I was outback with the forester he let his two dogs out and they were harassing us. He was yelling for the dogs from 50 feet away but wouldn’t actually come get them. The fine is 32 grand but the estimates in damage are around $1.9 million.
"A letter was dropped in our mailbox that was typed & unsigned saying he’s not a bad neighbor & he moved here because he loves nature. Otherwise he’s had nothing to say."
The estimated damage caused by the incident is around $1.9 million, Mr Shinway claimed, as the area where the trees were cut down is reportedly inaccessible by road.
This means Mr Haber would have to fork out costs to build a new road to the site, remove invasive species, add soil and clear the debris left behind so he could transport and plant 32 new large trees.
The ordinance also specifies each tree "must be guaranteed for two full growing seasons," so he would also be tasked with looking after them for two years.
Mr Shinway claims all this is set to cost Grant an eye-watering sum.
"The fine is 32 grand but the estimates in damage are around $1.9 million," he said.
The borough forester, John Linson, confirmed that 32 trees were removed without a permit and issued fines to Mr Haber.
A court hearing was scheduled, but Mr Haber's attorney requested more time to review the case.
Mr Haber is the founder of American Innovations, a company working in munitions and IED detection kits.
He lives with his family in the mansion, which includes a large property with amenities such as an outdoor swimming pool, gym, and games room.
He is expected to appear in court next month.
In addition to the fines, the incident has gained attention on social media after a Twitter thread suggested that the cost of replanting the trees could reach $1.5million, with additional fines for the contractors involved.
The preliminary hearing for Mr Haber was scheduled via Zoom but was rescheduled due to the defence attorney needing more time to review the case.
The hearing attracted significant public interest, with the Zoom call reaching capacity and an additional 100 people waiting in the digital waiting room.
