13 Adults, Baby Found Living In Overcrowded LI Home: Supervisor

RIVERHEAD, NY — Riverhead officials issued a search warrant this week at an "overcrowded and unsafe" single-family home in town, Supervisor Tim Hubbard said.

According to Hubbard, on Monday, the town attorney’s office, Riverhead Police Department and town code enforcement successfully executed a search warrant at the home At least 13 adults and one infant were found living in the single-family residence, with at least three adult men housed in a basement which had been divided into three makeshift living quarters where personal belongings, mattresses and bedroom furnishings were observed, town officials said.

The occupants of the basement were sleeping on beds in close proximity to heater and boiler equipment and exposed wiring and insulation, officials said.

Investigators also found evidence that a detached unheated garage on the property was also being utilized as living quarters, officials said.

Numerous violations of town and state building, fire and zoning codes were observed including "overcrowding, exposed wiring, insufficient smoke detection equipment, inadequate egress paths, conversion of inhabitable space into living quarters without building permits or certificates of occupancy, and lack of rental permit," town officials said.

"These violations represent a risk to the safety and welfare of the residents of the subject property as well as the residents of the surrounding area and will not be tolerated in Riverhead," Hubbard said.

Currently, the town attorney’s office is pursuing multiple Supreme Court actions related to town code violations and alleged overcrowding conditions, and approximately 12 pending cases

in Riverhead Justice Court related to the same issue, officials said.

Hubbard said he and the town board remain committed to ensuring the safety of all town residents and to improving the quality of life for all.